Clotel; or, The President's Daughter Literary Elements

Clotel; or, The President's Daughter Literary Elements

Genre

Fiction; novel

Setting and Context

The White House in the 1850s.

Narrator and Point of View

An unnamed, third-person omniscient narrator.

Tone and Mood

The tone is hopeful; the mood is optimistic.

Protagonist and Antagonist

Clotel is the protagonist; racism is the antagonist.

Major Conflict

The major conflict of the novel occurs when Currer gives birth to Clotel, who is fathered by the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson.

Climax

The climax of the story is reached when Jefferson dies and the family's easy life stops.

Foreshadowing

The hardships faced by Currer and her daughters is foreshadowed by the fact that they are mixed-race.

Understatement

The role of childhood is understated throughout the novel.

Allusions

The story alludes to the secret life of Jefferson's daughter, Clotel.

Imagery

The imagery of a nurturing family is present in the novel.

Paradox

The fact that Thomas Jefferson was the president. yet made questionable relationship decisions is an example of paradox in the story.

Parallelism

There is a parallel between the tragedies present in the novel and the author's desire to expose racism.

Metonymy and Synecdoche

N/A

Personification

N/A

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