Genre
Historical nonfiction
Setting and Context
Hiroshima in 1945, after the atomic bomb has landed on it.
Narrator and Point of View
An unnamed narrator tells the story in the third-person.
Tone and Mood
The tone is hopeful and inspiring; the mood is uplifting.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Sadako is the protagonist; her leukemia is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel occurs when the atomic bond detonates over Hiroshima, obliterating it and causing radiation poisoning.
Climax
The climax of the story is reached when Sadako is inspired to begin to form the paper origami cranes.
Foreshadowing
The successful completion of folding the 1,000 cranes is foreshadowed by the fact that Sadako enlists the help of her friends.
Understatement
The importance of hope after a disaster is understated throughout the novel.
Allusions
The story alludes to the healing process that is required after a traumatic event.
Imagery
The imagery of delicately forming paper origami cranes is present in the novel.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the hope that Sadako feels and the mood that is spread to the rest of her family.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The average child affected by trauma is personified through Sadako's actions.
