Genre
YA mystery, historical novel
Setting and Context
1900, northern Hermiker County, New York
Narrator and Point of View
Mathilda "Mattie" Gokey
Tone and Mood
Mysterious, Adventurous
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Mathilda Antagonist: The mysterious murderer and Mathilda's father
Major Conflict
The death of Grace Brown
Climax
The main climax in the novel is immediately after the death of Grace Brown, when "Mattie" reads the letters Grace wrote to her lover, and "Mattie" realizes how she died.
Foreshadowing
Grace's behavior foreshadowed that she might be pregnant, which was the reason she was killed by her lover. Therefore, her pregnancy indirectly foreshadowed her death and cause of death.
Understatement
The understatement of Grace's pregancy is huge, as it is percieved as something positive from the world around, but is a negative twist in the life of Grace and her lover.
Allusions
N/A
Imagery
The imagery of "Mattie" when she leaves the town, looking for a better life is an important image in the book, as it shows that she moved on from everything that happened in the towns she lived in.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
There are two parallel stories told at the same time, the old and the new "Mattie" and parallels and opposites alike can be drawn between the two perspectives.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
