Genre
Fiction
Setting and Context
The setting of the book is in an unnamed European country before the Industrial Revolution.
Narrator and Point of View
The narrator is in the third person. Their view is that Margarethe is very unkind to her children and that life was unfair to Iris and Ruth.
Tone and Mood
The book carries a somber tone and a uncomfortable and pessimistic mood.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonists are Iris and Ruth whereas the antagonists are Margarethe and Clara.
Major Conflict
The major conflict in the book, 'Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister' is the mistreatment of Iris and Ruth by their mother, Clara and the townsfolk. They are treated badly because they are considered ugly and poor.
Climax
The climax is arrived at during the ball when the prince meets Ruth and falls in love with her and in another instance where Iris and Caspar, the love of her life get married.
Foreshadowing
The narrator says, 'Clara was the prettiest child, but was her life the prettiest tale?' This statement is a foreshadowing of the harrowing life that Clara will have in the novel. She eventually died.
Understatement
Iris felt mistreated by the artist who was painting her. She told Margarethe and the response was, "“Cry a little bit if you have to. It’s healthy to piss in the fire. But then back you go,” says Margarethe, raising a spoon like a truncheon." Margarethe understated the plight of her daughter Iris and ordered her back to her abuser.
Allusions
Literary allusion is used in the book. The story of Iris, Clara and Ruth is a rewrite of the Cinderella story. In many instances of the book, the narrator alludes to the story of Cinderella where Clara is represented as Cinderella, Iris and Ruth as the ugly stepsisters.
Imagery
The narrator creates imagery in the description of the eyes of a girl peering through the window as, "Her narrowed eyes, when she peers about the curtain’s edge, are seen to be the blue of lapis lazuli or the strongest cornflower. Or like the old enamel that Iris saw once in a chapel ornament, its shine worn off prematurely. "
Paradox
It is paradoxical that Clara who received love in her life and was considered the prettiest went on to live a miserable life whereas Iris and Ruth who were looked down upon had very beautiful lives.
Parallelism
There is a parallel drawn between Clara and Ruth. Clara is described as the prettiest child from a well to do family and on the other hand Ruth has a mental health issues and is poor.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
