Genre
Historical fiction
Setting and Context
Set in 1822 in Northeast Baltimore, Maryland, and written in the context of race, politics, and American culture.
Narrator and Point of View
Omniscient third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Disheartening, informative, intriguing
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is John Wilkes Booth.
Major Conflict
There is a major conflict between Rosalie and her family. Rosalie finds herself in a conflicting situation because she shouldered the responsibility of caring for her surviving siblings. Rosalie is the eldest in her family, and she is tasked with the responsibility of looking after her distraught mother. Additionally, Rosalie moves from one relative to the other, slowly losing her identity and independence.
Climax
The climax comes when Edwin becomes a successful actor, unlike her father, who risked his career due to overdrinking and erratic temper. Initially, Edwin had been tasked with looking after his father as he toured places to perform. Edwin quickly mastered his father's shortcomings and optimized his strengths to become a force to reckon with in the acting industry.
Foreshadowing
His political ambitions foreshadow John's pro-slavery and pro-secession traits, and he adopts violent strategies to entice his following.
Understatement
Junius Booth underestimated the possibility of one of his children becoming pro-slavery. Throughout his life, Booth tried to set a foundation that enabled his family to disregard slavery and appreciate all human beings as one people. However, John repelled when he matured and started championing slavery.
Allusions
N/A
Imagery
The responsibility of Rosalie is described using sight imagery. The author writes, "Rosalie, the oldest daughter, is sitting on the steps that lead down to Beech Spring, watching her baby brother and sister boast out of leaves." The imagery represents Rosalie's primary responsibility, taking care of her surviving siblings. Being a firstborn comes with responsibilities; the biggest is looking after the younger siblings.
Paradox
The main paradox is that John Wilkes Booth took a contradictory trajectory from that of his entire family. For instance, he chooses a path that none of the family members embrace, which is slavery.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The arrival of blackbirds is a metonymy for Rosalie's bad days.
Personification
The sky is personified when the author says it is sad, indicating it is about to rain.
