Genre
Psychological fiction
Setting and Context
Set in 1991 in Alabama, United States of America
Narrator and Point of View
A first-person narrative told from Gift's perspective.
Tone and Mood
Informative and disheartening
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Gifty, and the antagonist is Pastor Tom.
Major Conflict
There is a conflict between the church and religion. The church does not approve of science, and those who believe in science argue that the church is biased.
Climax
The climax comes when Gifty discovers herself and decides to pursue her life goals.
Foreshadowing
Scientific mice experiments foreshadow the answers surrounding the death of Nana.
Understatement
There is an understatement when Gifty’s aunt says that mad people are only found in Ghana. However, Gift knows that mad people also exist in America where she graduated from before coming to Ghana.
Allusions
N/A
Imagery
Gifty describes the Pentecostal Church as predominantly white, signifying that there are very few black people in attendance.
Paradox
The main paradox is that Gifty is brought up in church, and she is required to follow the teachings strictly. Paradoxically, the church leadership does not want to answer burning questions about religion. Therefore, Gifty finds the church as an ironic institution that is only one-sided.
Parallelism
There is a parallelism between Nana’s death and the results of scientific experiments conducted by Gifty.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The mouse is personified when used for a scientific experiment to depict human symptoms.
