Genre
Historical Fiction
Setting and Context
All across the world from the Barbados to the Arctic and Morocco
Narrator and Point of View
Through the point of view of the eponymous Washington Black.
Tone and Mood
Violent, Solemn, Chaotic, Mysterious, Alarming, and Energetic
Protagonist and Antagonist
Washington Black (Protagonist) vs. the institution of slavery and those who perpetuate it (Antagonist)
Major Conflict
Black's initial struggle to escape bondage, and his later struggle to escape fugitive slave hunters and find Titch.
Climax
When Black is finally freed from bondage and goes to Virginia
Foreshadowing
Black becoming free from slavery is foreshadowed quite early on in the book.
Understatement
The extent to which Kit yearns for something that will likely never exist for him again (freedom) is understated in the book.
Allusions
To history, the geography of the world, popular culture, religion (particularly Christianity), mythology, and Edugyan's previous works.
Imagery
Edugyan uses intense imagery to underscore the violence and horrible conditions those in bondage had to undergo.
Paradox
Black is a slave presumed to not be intelligent, yet he is tasked with tasked with creating a complex machine.
Parallelism
Black's story is often paralleled with the stories of his fellow slaves.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Slavery as an institution is personified often throughout the book.
