Genre
A short story
Setting and Context
The events decribe take place in Malaya - Tanah Merah
Narrator and Point of View
The beginning of the story is told by the third-person, but the biggest part of it told by Gaze – he tells about a murder he had to solve 20 years ago.
Tone and Mood
The tone is calm and steady, but it becomes more intriguing when Gaze starts telling about a crime committed in the jungles many years ago.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Gaze, and the antagonist is Mr. Cartwright.
Major Conflict
The conflict of the story is way too deed in meaning – it is about people who might find audacity to commit a crime but at the same time stay decent and good person. It also involves the problem of cruel circumstances that sometimes rule people’s lives.
Climax
The climax comes almost at the very end when Gaze finally reveals his own considerations about the crime committed, and his supposition about the perpetrator of the crime itself.
Foreshadowing
Mysterious footprints in the jungle foreshadow an enigma about the crime.
Understatement
The need of a punishment for a murderer is understated.
Allusions
The story alludes to economic and cultural development of Malaya.
Imagery
See the imagery section.
Paradox
The paradox of the story contains the supposition that even good-natured people with decent goals can commit throughly thought-through crimes.
Parallelism
The events of the present and the events of the past are told in parallel.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
“Rubber had taken a toss and a lot of fellows had lost their jobs”
