A Dog of Flanders Literary Elements

Children's novel

In Antwerp, Belgium, in the 19th century

The novel is told from the third person perspective of an unnamed narrator.

The novel is grim, violent, solemn, energetic, intense, and reflective.

Nello is the protagonist of the novel; poverty is the antagonist of the novel.

Nello must contend with the consequences related to their poverty—the struggle to get rent money, the cold, stigmatization from society, and the struggle to succeed.

The climax of the novel occurs when Nello and Patrasche die in the cathedral from the cold.

Nello becoming homeless is foreshadowed by his and his grandfather's interactions with their landlord, who threatens to evict them.

The sheer kindness and generosity of Jehan Daas to take Nello in and raise him despite not having much himself is understated frequently in the novel.

There are allusions in the novel to Catholicism, the geography of Belgium and surrounding countries, other popular culture of the time, mythology, and cultural trends in the time the novel was written.

As Nello's situation becomes more dire, imagery surrounding death becomes more prevalent.

Nello was nowhere near Baas' house when it set on fire. However, he is blamed for the act despite all evidence pointing to the fact that he did not set the fire at Baas' house.

The lives of Nello and Patrasche—their early struggles, their struggles, and their deaths together—are parallel with each other.

N/A

The Ardennes forest that Nello's mother died in is personified at the start of the novel when her death is described.