Genre
Oscar Wilde's letter addressed to one of his close friends
Setting and Context
Oscar Wilde was sent to prison for indecency in 1895, an experience which made him write the letter,
Narrator and Point of View
Narrator: Oscar Wilde
Point of view: first person
Tone and Mood
Tone: Despairing, hopeful towards the end
Mood: somber, lonely
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Oscar Wilde, Antagonist: society that made him an outcast
Major Conflict
While in prison, Wilde is confronted with himself which makes him think about the true meaning of life and art.
Climax
Wilde decides to not despair and to see the events that happened to him as a path towards a new beginning.
Foreshadowing
n/a
Understatement
Wilde understated the effects that every little action of life has on the development of one's character.
Allusions
Allusion to Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and its characters Ariel and Caliban
Imagery
Imagery of nature as a source of healing
Paradox
n/a
Parallelism
"Morality does not help me."
"Religion does not help me."
"Reason does not help me."
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Metonymy: clergymen
Personification
"If I can produce only one beautiful work of art I shall be able to rob malice of its venom, and cowardice of its sneer, and to pluck out the tongue of scorn by the roots."
