Genre
Fiction
Setting and Context
Set in the 1960s in Senegal.
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
The tone is benevolent, and the mood is optimistic.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is Lola, and the antagonist is her mother.
Major Conflict
There is a major conflict between Lola and her mother. Lola's mother disapproves of her engagement with Armand. According to the mother, she wants, Lola, to remain in Senegal and take advantage of the available opportunities. Lola disregards her mother's advice and relocates to America with her boyfriend.
Climax
The climax comes when Lola finally succeeds in the United States after struggling for several years.
Foreshadowing
Lola’s challenges in America are foreshadowed by her failure to follow her mother’s advice.
Understatement
n/a
Allusions
The story alludes to Sandra Uwiringiyimana’s memoir "How Dare the Sun Rise", which talks about the fallacies of the American dream. When Lola migrates to America, she expects endless opportunities but discovers that the American dream is an illusion.
Imagery
Lola's singing depicts hearing imagery. Lola sings, "Fifteen men on a dead man's chest,/Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!" The imagery is significant because it shows that Lola’s friends like complaining about trivial things. In addition, the imagery shows readers that Lola’s friends are snobbish.
Paradox
There is a situational irony when Lola arrives in America. Lola's initial expectation was that America is a blessed land full of opportunities for all people. Ironically, Lola faces racism and a lack of opportunities.
Parallelism
There is a parallelism between Lola's mother's assertion that life is better in Senegal and Lola's harsh reality in the foreign land.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
n/a
Personification
America is personified when Lola says it is inhuman, brutal, and uncaring.
