The Lover Literary Elements

Novel, Realist Fiction, Biography.

The setting of the novel is Israel during Yom Kippur war.

The novel has been written through first person's point of view and the narration varies among different characters in the book.

Solemn, Metaphorical, Thought provoking, Chaotic, Sensual.

The protagonist of the book is Gabriel who returns to Israel to claim his grandmother's property but he ends up being disguised as an orthodox Jew. The antagonists in the book are people's own beliefs which make them prejudiced against others. War can also be considered as an antagonist for Gabriel.

The major conflict in the story is between Gabriel and his aversion for his country. He came to Israel to inherit his family property but he had to live there for getting the inheritance. Another conflict in the story is between Adam and his family. They seem to be callous towards one another and there was no emotional connection after the death of Adam's elder son. There is also a conflict between Naim and Vechuda because the old lady hates the Arabs.

The climax in the story comes when Gabriel disappears suddenly from Adam and his family's lives.

Adam's lack of emotional connection with his wife and daughter foreshadows their love affairs with other men.

The understatement in the book is that people try to fill the vacuum in themselves through different means. Asya indulges in an affair with Gabriel owing to the lack of love between Adam and his wife. Dafi gets the emotional stability from Naim and Gabriel disguises himself as an orthodox Jew in order to escape from war. Another understatement in the book is that the prejudice against a person or place can overcome our lives. Vechuda hates Arabs but she is taken under the caretaking of an Arab. Gabriel doesn't like his country but he was compelled to live there.

There are allusions to war, death, coma, near death experience, love for one's country, aversion for homeland, inheritance, extramarital affairs, physical relationship, patricide, caretaking, disguising, escapement, Morris, relationships, loss of child, separation, lack of emotional connection, prejudice against Arabs and military coups.

The book has demonstrated the images of death, coma and lack of emotional attachment. The author has also depicted the prejudice against Arabs and their treatment at the hands of Jews. There are images of escapement and separation. The author has also presented the absence of familial bond between Adam and his family and the strong bond between Gabriel and Adam's family. The book conveys the imagery of physical relationship between Asya and Gabriel and Dafi and Naim.

The paradox in the story is that Gabriel is posed as an orthodox Jew but he doesn't love his country and he disguised himself to avoid participating in war. Another paradox is that Veducha possesses a racist ideology and she resents the Arabs but his caretaker was also an Arab and he takes great care of her. Gabriel's lack of love for his heritage and Naim's attachment for his homeland are also paradoxical.

There is a parallelism between Gabriel's aversion for his country and Naim's attachment to his homeland. Another parallelism has been drawn between Asya and Gabriel's relationship and her daughter's relationship with Naim.

An example of metonymy is Asya who represents all the women who are overlooked by their husbands and eventually they look for love in other men. An example of synecdoche is Vechuda's hatred for Naim which stands for Israel's hatred for the Palestinian Arabs.

Relationships, War, and Morris have been personified in the book.