Genre
A short story
Setting and Context
Part of the action takes place on Samoa, and the other part in England. The time of the story is the second part of the 19th century
Narrator and Point of View
It is the first-person type of narration. The narrator stays unnamed.
Tone and Mood
The tone is melancholic. The mood is depressed.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist of the story is Lawson.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is the one of discrimination and white superiority.
Climax
The climax comes when Lawson dares to beat Ethel.
Foreshadowing
When the news of Lawson and Ethel’s engagement spread over the island, many people said that this marriage would end badly.
Understatement
Ethel’s attitude towards Lawson is not always clarified; thus, her role is understated
Allusions
The story contains many allusions of different types. Robert Louis Stevenson, Wagner, the opera “Tristan and Isolde”, London's Piccadilly Circus, and many other things are mentioned in the story.
Imagery
The story contains different images of different types. There are descriptive images, as well as emotional ones and those that appeal to one’s imagination.
Paradox
The main paradox is that Ethel wanted to return to Samoa so strongly that this desire had ruined the relationship with Lawson.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
“His glance rested on me for a moment, but I could see that he did not recognize me”
Personification
“She was the spirit of the pool.”
“I think it's stunning to stand there and watch the buses and taxis streaming along as though they'd never stop”.
“The night fell suddenly”.
“At last the dawn crept into the windows”
