Genre
Short fiction
Setting and Context
The story was written in 1991 in Harlem.
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
The tone is ardent, and the mood is tense.
Protagonist and Antagonist
King Solomon Gills is the central character.
Major Conflict
King Solomon Gills is on the run after shooting a white man in North Carolina and he is running for safety to Harlem. He was almost lynched by angry people who were thirsting for his blood.
Climax
The climax comes when Solomon gets a job at the Grocery in Harlem, where he earns something to keep him going.
Foreshadowing
Tony's predicaments were foreshadowed by hiring Solomon, who put his business at the risk of collapsing.
Understatement
Gills' character in Tony's shop was underrated. Gills presented himself as hardworking, honest and determined to boost sales, but he was secretly selling the pills given to him by Mouse. Consequently, the cops knew, and they came to threaten Tony to reveal what was exactly happening at his shop.
Allusions
The story alludes to the racism that pushes blacks to engage in crime and illegal business to earn a living.
Imagery
The imagery of Harlem paints a picture of a sanctuary for the blacks. When Gills arrive in Harlem, he is surprised to see black police officers who command the white people to obey the law. Similarly, Harlem is described as a place where many blacks and their rights are not violated.
Paradox
The main paradox is that Harlem is not heaven, as Gills earlier thought. For instance, he had to engage in the illegal trade of white French pills that later put him in trouble.
Parallelism
There is parallelism between life in Harlem and other states because the city has most black people.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Harlem is incarnated as friendly and welcoming.
