The Vendor of Sweets

The Vendor of Sweets Literary Elements

Genre

Novel

Setting and Context

The novel is set in the Indian town of Malgudi.

Narrator and Point of View

The novel is narrated from a third-person point of view.

Tone and Mood

The tone is sympathetic and reflective. The mood is comedic and tense.

Protagonist and Antagonist

The protagonist of the novel is Jagan. The antagonist is his son Mali.

Major Conflict

The major conflict of the novel is between Jagan and his son Mali, as Mali demands a massive investment in his business scheme and Jagan does not want to give it to him.

Climax

The climax occurs when Jagan confronts Mali about not actually being married to Grace.

Foreshadowing

It is foreshadowed that Mali is dishonest when he will not show his father any of his work.

Understatement

N/A

Allusions

The story makes numerous allusion to the Hindu faith, The Bhagavad Gita, and the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.

Imagery

Important imagery in the novel includes light, incense, money, and tactile labor.

Paradox

N/A

Parallelism

Rather than a parallel, Jagan and Mali are foils for one another: Mali is only interested in material wealth without labor, and Jagan is dedicated to hard work while also growing skeptical of the value of money over the course of the novel.

Metonymy and Synecdoche

N/A

Personification

N/A

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