The Sunset Limited Literary Elements

The Sunset Limited Literary Elements

Genre

Drama

Language

English

Setting and Context

Black's Apartment, the slums of (presumably) New York

Narrator and Point of View

Told from a third-person point of view

Tone and Mood

Depressing, Solemn, Intellectual, Energizing, Chaotic, Violent, and Sad.

Protagonist and Antagonist

There is no clear Protagonist-Antagonist structure in the play

Major Conflict

Black struggles to get White to realize the value of his life and his struggle to get him to stop thinking about killing himself.

Climax

When Black finally leaves White's apartment

Foreshadowing

McCarthy foreshadows Whites reveal that he is an academic early on in the play when Black and White begin to talk

Understatement

The extent of Black's kindheartedness is understated throughout the play

Allusions

To Samuel Beckett and his play Waiting for Godot, religion, the Bible, mythology, popular culture, McCarthy's other works, and to history and those who inhabited it.

Imagery

McCarthy uses stark imagery to illuminate White and his despair (particularly the train which he tries to kill himself with).

Paradox

White seemingly has it all, yet wants to kill himself.

Parallelism

N/A

Personification

The Sunset Limited (the train) is often personified.

Use of Dramatic Devices

McCarthy uses stage directions to establish the tone, themes, and feel of the play.

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