Genre
Literary fiction
Setting and Context
These stories are set within the LGBTQ+ community with a diverse range of backdrops for exploring love, relationships, and personal growth.
Narrator and Point of View
Most of the stories in the collection are told in the first-person point of view.
Tone and Mood
Introspective, Nostalgic
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist in the story "The Alumni Interview" Is a college applicant. In contrast, discrimination and prejudice, often based on societal norms and expectations emerge as recurring antagonists, posing obstacles to the characters' pursuit of love and self-acceptance.
Major Conflict
In all of these stories, the conflicts center around the intricate, often nuanced aspects of love and relationships both within oneself and in the context of society.
Climax
"The Quarterback and the Cheerleader." In this narrative, the climax occurs when the male cheerleader and the female quarterback, deeply in love but facing discrimination due to their non-traditional roles, decide to confront the school administration together. They've endured prejudice and obstacles from their peers and teachers throughout the story, and this confrontation represents the peak of their resolve.
Foreshadowing
N/A
Understatement
Understatement is apparent in the narrator's description of their high school experiences and friendships in the story “The Good Girls.” They state, "So many gay boys—whether they know they’re gay yet or not—go through high school feeling like they’re the only ones. They think they’re the only ones who will never find love, the only ones who don’t really fit in, the only ones who aren’t coupled off." This understatement downplays the complexities of high school experiences, especially for LGBTQ+ individuals. The narrator presents it as a simple, matter-of-fact statement while the reality is that many LGBTQ+ individuals face significant challenges and feelings of isolation during high school.
Allusions
There's an allusion to the Nobel Prize for Literature in the story "Quiz Bowl Antichrist" in the question "WHO WAS THE LAST AMERICAN NOVELIST TO WIN THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE?" This allusion refers to the renowned American author Toni Morrison, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.
Imagery
Imagery in the story "Day 2934" vividly portrays the Valentine's Day decorations in the kitchen. The narrator describes the scene as "a valentine wonderland," and this phrase sets the tone for the colorful and imaginative imagery that follows. Hearts are depicted as "dropping from the ceiling," "constellated across the cabinets," and "blooming from the countertop," creating a visual picture of an abundance of heart-shaped decorations covering every available surface. The imagery continues with hearts "peeking out from drawers," "scaling the refrigerator," and "conga-ing across the floor," providing a whimsical and lively image of these decorations seemingly coming to life and participating in a cheerful dance. The use of phrases like "hearts popping out of the toaster" and "hearts running away with the spoons" adds a touch of playfulness to the imagery, making the Valentine's Day decorations feel animated and joyful, and painting a vivid picture of the festive scene in the kitchen.
Paradox
One example of a paradox can be found in the story "The Map of Tiny Perfect Things." In this narrative, the characters are trapped in a time loop, living the same day over and over again. The paradox lies in the idea that despite the repetition of the day, the characters are continually discovering new and profound aspects of life and love. They find joy in the small, perfect moments that exist within the confines of this otherwise repetitive existence.
Parallelism
Parallelism in the story “The Good Girls” is in the repetition of the phrase "We were the" to emphasize the characteristics of the group of friends. The narrator lists various traits such as being "smart, and we knew it," "dorks, and we knew it," and "bookish, articulate, cute, sensitive, clever, crush-worthy." The repetition of the same sentence structure and the use of the conjunction "and" to link these qualities create a parallel structure.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Personification can be found in the description of Sung's varsity jacket in the story "Quiz Bowl Antichrist". The protagonist describes the jacket's sleeves as "glistening like they’d been made from unicorn horns." This personification attributes human qualities to the jacket by suggesting that it can "glisten" as if it were a living, magical creature.
