Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies Literary Elements

Fiction

Set in a vicarage and written in the context of a mother and daughter relationship.

Third-person narrative

Heartbreaking, enlightening, optimistic, and humorous

The protagonist is Lia.

There is a conflict between Lia's suspicious feelings about her body and her interest in Mathew. Lia knows that her body is a temple of Christ and she should not sin. At the same time, Lia is sexually attracted to Mathew.

The climax comes when Lia meets Harry for the first time and feels an electric current in her body, which convinces her that he is the right person to marry her. Initially, Lia had a sexual relationship with Mathew, but the relationship was going nowhere.

The birth of Iris foreshadows Lia's hope for living. Despite being cancerous and knowing that her life is ending soon, Lia looks at the rainbow and sees hope for the future.

Lia's parents underestimated the capability of Mathew to have a sexual relationship with their daughter. For God's sake, Mathew is headed for ordination and will become a priest in the future. Behind the scenes, Mathew proves them wrong when he engages in a sexual relationship with Lia.

The story alludes to the significance of daughter mother relationship. Iris and her mother have a strong bond, and she dedicates her entire life to taking care of her ailing mother.

Sight imagery is depicted to readers in the train scene where a man tries to touch Lia's breasts and gets shocked after realizing that the breasts have been removed. Lia feels nothing even after being touched by the man on the train.

The primary paradox is that Mathew is headed for ordination and looks forward to becoming a priest. Therefore, Mathew knows he should not be engaged in sexual activities because that is against celibacy. Ironically, the first time Mathew meets Lia, he gets sexually attracted to her, and they engage in sexual intercourse regularly.

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A terrible act of osmosis is used as a metonymy for the harsh reality.

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