Genre
Novel
Setting and Context
Written in the context of magical realism
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Horrific, terrifying, pessimistic
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is Eva Luna.
Major Conflict
The main conflict is that Eva Luna is engaged in multiple unsuccessful marriage relationships with different partners.
Climax
The climax comes when Eva breaks up with her benefactor Naranjo because she is abused and traumatized.
Foreshadowing
Naranjo’s idiosyncrasy and lacerating baggage foreshadowed his breakup with Eva.
Understatement
Success in marriage is understated in the text. Eva is a woman looking forward to settling down with one man and creating a family. Unfortunately, the story ends without Eva getting married.
Allusions
The story alludes to relationship challenges and how one can deal with them.
Imagery
The images of orphan-hood dominate the book. Eva is an orphan, and her life is disturbed because she cannot even settle down with one man. Consequently, Eva ends up having multiple sexual affairs with different men.
Paradox
The main paradox is when Eva is left in the brothel by her caregivers, who intentionally knew that various men would rape her.
Parallelism
Eva's story parallels readers' expectations on how caregivers should look after orphans.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The brothel is embodied as horrific and dehumanizing.
