Genre
Biography
Setting and Context
The action described takes place on the frontier in the 18th and 19th century.
Narrator and Point of View
The action is told from the perspective of the main character, meaning a first-person subjective point of view.
Tone and Mood
The tone and mood is a hopeful one.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Lily Case but there is no real antagonist mentioned.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is between the desire to never give up hope and the problems which seem to arise every other moment.
Climax
One moment which can be seen as the climax of the biography is the moment when Lily found employment as a teacher.
Foreshadowing
At the beginning of the book, the narrator describes how the first house in which she and her family used to live was destroyed by floods and the second one was destroyed by a tornado. This description is used to foreshadow the later problems the main character will have to go through.
Understatement
When the narrator claims that life on the frontier was an easy one is an understatement. This is later proven in the story when the main character describes the real conditions in which she and her family lived in.
Allusions
One of the main allusions we find in the biography is the idea that illegal actions can be forgiven as long as the main purpose is to ensure their survival and the survival of their family.
Imagery
The way in which the narrator describes the first house in which she and her family used to live is important because it allows the reader to learn more about the life the character had. The house was constructed out of cow dung and when the flood came, the house was whipped out completely. This image of the house creates an image of complete poverty and pain, something which was normal for the narrator.
Paradox
One of the main paradoxes in the biography is the way in which the narrator is happy despite leaving a harsh and difficult life.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The destroyed houses are used here as a general term to make reference to the misfortunes which the narrator has to deal with.
Personification
We have a personification in the sentence "the waters attacked us with no mercy, destroying everything in its path".
