Genre
Science Fiction novella
Setting and Context
The colonized planet of the Athsheans, which has been taken over by humans from planet Earth, the Terrans
Narrator and Point of View
The point of view is that of Captain Davidson, the most warmongering of the Terrans.
Tone and Mood
The tone is combative and aggressive, also violent. The mood can also be philosophical.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonists are the Athsheans, the antagonists, the Terrans.
Major Conflict
There is conflict throughout the novella between the Terrans and the Athsheans once the rebellion takes place. There is personal conflict between Davidson and Selver, because Davidson raped Selver's wife; she subsequently died.
Climax
The Terrans are made to leave the planet they have colonized, their repatriation leaving the Athsheans able to govern themselves.
Foreshadowing
The fight between Davidson and Selver foreshadows the rebellion that Selver leads that begins in the logging camp presided over by Davidson.
Understatement
Selver is worried that his people now know about violence which is an understatement because they have won a bloody civil war and exterminated the female population of the Terran colonists.
Allusions
N/A
Imagery
The imagery is very violent and is reminiscent of images seen in media footage of the Vietnam war; this is the image that the author presents to the reader.
Paradox
Selver sees himself as peaceful but he has actually been plotting his revenge on Davidson for many years.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Selver and Lyubov as both men are essentially peaceful and both have great respect for each other. They also both make efforts to protect the other.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The Colonists is used to refer to the Terrans rather than referring to each of them individually or by their ethnic terminology.
Personification
N/A
