Genre
A novel
Setting and Context
The majority of events take place in London in 20th century.
Narrator and Point of View
The story is told from the third point of view by an omniscient narrator.
Tone and Mood
The narrator’s tone is often sarcastic whilst the novel’s mood could only be described as grim.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Tony Last is the protagonist of the story. Brenda Last is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
A major conflict is person vs. self. Tony tries to get rid of old illusions and start a new life but fails.
Climax
The moment Tony realizes that Mr. Todd is not going to set him free is the climax of the story.
Foreshadowing
What do you suppose is Mr. Beaver’s sex-life?
Brenda’s intentions become clear after she utters this particular question.
Understatement
John…John Andrew…I…Oh thank God.
Brenda thanks God that her lover is alive. The most bizarre thing is that she doesn’t really care that her child is dead.
Allusions
The novel alludes to the First World War.
Imagery
See the Imagery Section
Paradox
Me? Oh, I’m all right. Wish I was dead, that’s all…
Parallelism
Silly feet and silly toes, silly head and silly clothes…
Metonymy and Synecdoche
From being the hand who looked after farm horses, he was now, perceptibly, assuming the air of a stud groom. (The hand is metonymy that means a helper.)
No paper games? (Paper games are synecdoche that means cards.)
Personification
N/A
