Our Nig: Or, Sketches From the Life of a Free Black Literary Elements

Our Nig: Or, Sketches From the Life of a Free Black Literary Elements

Genre

A novel, autobiography

Setting and Context

The actions take place in the first part of the 19th century in America.

Narrator and Point of View

It is third-person narration

Tone and Mood

The tone and mood of the novel are predominantly sad, as the main character endure hardships of life, has to work really hard and make a living. Even until the end little changes as she is constantly alone, abandoned by family, and there is nobody to really love her just for the fact that she exists.

Protagonist and Antagonist

The protagonist is Frado, the antagonist is Mrs. Bellmont

Major Conflict

The main conflict is the one based on racis, as Mrs. Bellmont thinks that blacks exist only to serve the whites.

Climax

The climax comes when Fradon turns eighteen years old and leaves the house of the Bellmonts

Foreshadowing

When Mag leaves Frado and does not come back to take her, it foreshadows for little Frado rather vague future, and when the future is not clear it brings only sorrows and tears. In the Frado’s case it was just the way.

Understatement

N/A

Allusions

There are allusions to abolitionism and its movement in the United States.

Imagery

See the imagery section

Paradox

Even having many friends in the Bellmonts family, like Jack, James, Jenny, aunt Abby, Frado still was very often whipped and beaten, she was accomplishing much work and had little rest. Her friends could not protect her from the only person – Mrs. Bellmont.

Parallelism

N/A

Metonymy and Synecdoche

"Black, white and yeller," echoed a dozen voices. (dozen voices is a metonymy for children)

“Toward night the coach brought James” (the coach is a metonymy for its driver)

Personification

“Spring was now retiring”

“Month after month passed away”

Update this section!

You can help us out by revising, improving and updating this section.

Update this section

After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.

Cite this page