This Side of Paradise Literary Elements

This Side of Paradise Literary Elements

Genre

A novel

Setting and Context

The story starts in New York City, when the main hero is child. Then the story continues in Princeton.

Narrator and Point of View

A third person narrative.

Tone and Mood

Because of the World War I and life problems of characters, the tone of this roman is rather depressing. The mood is sorrowful, but sometimes it gets a sarcastic form.

Protagonist and Antagonist

The protagonist of this story is Amory. The antagonists are his upbringing and the world outlook.

Major Conflict

The major conflict lies in the struggle between the main character and his self-knowledge. He is well-educated, young man from the rich family. But he is spoilt. Amory always lives for his pleasure and gets everything what he wants.

Climax

The climax is observed, when Amory realizes that the selfishness is not just a part of his being. After all life tests and the War, he becomes an adult man. The main hero develops his worldview and understands that it is wrong to live in the past.

Foreshadowing

The author predicts the further destiny of Amory’s mother. She is lordly person and likes to drink heavily. It is evidently that she will destroy her life utterly.

Understatement

N/A

Allusions

This story alludes to the World War I. Also when the main character enumerates the list of book which he reads (Little women, Faust, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man), he alludes to famous writes such as Louisa May Alcott, Goethe and James Joyce.

Imagery

The author applies imagery when portraying appearances, and describing nature views.

Paradox

Despite the fact that the main character is a self-admiring and cold person, he has many friends and he is on the best term with them.

Parallelism

N/A

Metonymy and Synecdoche

The author uses the idiom “to get wet like a wet hen”, which means that the weather is rainy.

Personification

The World War I personifies pain, heroism, patriotism, sorrow and hatred. It influences the human soul with negative results such as death and the parting with family. But it can give the feeling of patriotism and the strength of mind.

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