Genre
Autobiographical fiction
Setting and Context
The novel is set in the 1920s and 1930s in America.
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrator.
Tone and Mood
The tone of the novel is tragic and fairly pessimistic.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist of this novel is arguably Paul or Geremio, and the antagonist is Geremio's boss.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of this novel is the relationship between Paul and his religious faith.
Climax
The climax of the novel is when Geremio dies in a tragic accident at work when the floor falls through.
Foreshadowing
Geremio is optimistic about his life at the beginning of the novel, but there are early hints that things will not go entirely according to plan. This includes suggestions that the houses are built cheaply.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The novel alludes to The Great Depression, a historical event that led to the financial ruin of many people in America.
Imagery
Imagery is used to describe the building collapsing:
"Then the bottom of their world gave way. The building shuddered violently, her supports burst with the crackling slap of wooden gunfire. The floor vomited upward."
Paradox
To Paul, the fact that the Catholic Church did not help his family seemed paradoxical, given what he had been taught during his childhood.
Parallelism
A parallel is drawn between Geremio and Christ, as both died on the same day and were killed in a similar way.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The floor is personified during the accident and is described as vomiting.
