Genre
Autobiography
Setting and Context
both India and the United States
Narrator and Point of View
Through Ajay Mishra's point of view
Tone and Mood
Mysterious, Violent, Solemn, Triumphant, and Energetic
Protagonist and Antagonist
Ajay (Protagonist) vs. the circumstances he and his family are dealt (Antagonists)
Major Conflict
Ajay's struggle to make it in America despite his family's hardships - especially his brother's hardships.
Climax
When Ajay finally achieves what his brother and family wanted to do: be successful.
Foreshadowing
Ajay's success is foreshadowed early - and often - in the book.
Understatement
The profundity of the American dream is at first understated.
Allusions
To the history of the United States and India, the geography of India and the United States, geography, popular culture, and religion - most prominently Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity.
Imagery
Sharma uses intense imagery to underscore the abject poverty many in India have to endure.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
Ajay's story is paralleled with other immigrants who come to the United States.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
White coats = doctors
Personification
The American Dream is personified often throughout the book.
