Genre
A Fantasy Novel, Fiction. Magical Realist Literature.
Setting and Context
The setting of the novel is Mexico City in 1961 and the novel has been written in the context of completing someone else's biography.
Narrator and Point of View
The novel has been narrated from a second person's point of view. The second person narrative "You" has been frequently used in the story
Tone and Mood
Imaginary, Horrifying, Pensive, Chaotic, Confused, Anxious.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist of the novel is Felipe Montero who was a historian. He gets a job of completing the biography of an old army officer.
Major Conflict
The major conflict in the novel is between Consuelo's desires and her old age.
Climax
The climax in the story comes when Montero accepts the job of completing Llorente's biography.
Foreshadowing
Montero's acceptance of job foreshadows his love for Aura. The darkness in the house foreshadows the darkness in Consuelo's life.
Understatement
The understatement in the book is that we all pass through same phases of life and the experiences of different generations are somewhat similar. The older generation relives its life in the younger generation.
Allusions
There are allusions to old age, youth, death, biography, job, historian, teacher, publishing, isolation and fleeting nature of life.
Imagery
There are images of darkness in the novel which have been demonstrated through Consuelo's house and her life. When Montero visits her house, it was overwhelmed by darkness as there were no lights or electric bulbs. The mysterious and supernatural imagery is recurrent in the book. The author has also employed the images of writing, life, death, youth, old age, love and time.
Paradox
The paradox in the book is that Consuelo is old but still she yearns for youth. Although the lack of windows or clock can not stop our connection with the outside world or halt the time, she stops Montero from looking at his watch. Another paradox is that despite her husband's death, Consuelo wants to relive her past.
Parallelism
There is parallelism between the old age and youth in the novel. Another parallelism has been drawn between Consuelo and Aura's life and the life of Llorente and Montero's life. Their life experiences and passions seem to be similar.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
An example of metonymy is Consuelo, who represents all the people who fears old age. An example of synecdoche is the lack of windows in the house, which demonstrated the absence of connection with the outside world.
Personification
Time and age have been personified in the novel.
