Genre
Autobiography
Setting and Context
Set in France in the 2000s
Narrator and Point of View
First-person narrative point of view
Tone and Mood
Enlightening and optimistic
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is the narrator (Annie Ernaux) and the antagonist is the Catholic Church
Major Conflict
There is a major conflict between the narrator and the church. According to the narrator, the church played a vital role in segregating the female gender.
Climax
The climax comes when the narrator divorces her husband and decides to become independent. After the divorce, the narrator exploits her full potential.
Foreshadowing
Catholic Church’s directions asking men to distance themselves from women foreshadow gender segregation.
Understatement
The ability of a woman is understated. For instance, the church argues that the woman's role is to be submissive and be under a man. However, the narrator discovers that she can make independent decisions and exploit her potential.
Allusions
N/A
Imagery
The sense of sight is portrayed when the narrator describes her childhood allowing the reader to see how the female gender was segregated against. She describes how she was treated in school and the church's actions that intentionally disadvantaged women.
Paradox
The main paradox is that the narrator intentionally divorces her husband not because he is unfaithful or brutal but because she wants to enjoy her freedom.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Catholicism is used as a metonymy for authority.
Personification
The Catholic Church is personified as authoritarian. For instance, the narrator argues that Catholic Church tells men to be cautious when interacting with women.
