Genre
Historical Fiction
Setting and Context
Prague, Czechoslovakia, 1940s
Narrator and Point of View
Narrated in the first person by Dite, told from his point of view
Tone and Mood
Aspirational, sometimes depressing, threatening
Protagonist and Antagonist
Dite is the protagonist, the circumstances in the world around him are the antagonist
Major Conflict
World War Teo and the German occupation of Czechoslovakia
Climax
After finding the briefcase of stamps, Dite can purchase a hotel
Foreshadowing
Having collaborated with the Nazis casts a shadow over Dite's future as the other hoteliers do not want anything to do with him.
Understatement
The Germans consider Dite to be too short to be Arian but this is an understatement because he really is shorter than the average man
Allusions
The novel alludes to the invasion history of World War Two and refers to various historical events that shaped the course of the war
Imagery
The images created for the reader are predominantly visual. They describe Site's surroundings and the way in which a place of beauty turned into a place of grays and monochromatic colors as the invasion dulled the city and the people
Paradox
The Millionaire's Prison is a paradox because it involves absolutely no punishment and enables the "prisoners" to have exactly the same lifestyle they had on the outside
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the wealth of the prisoners and the high life that they are allowed to live whilst incarcerated
Metonymy and Synecdoche
"Collaborators" is the term thatjs used to represent all of the individuals with their own individual reasons for collaborating with the Nazis
Personification
No specific examples of personification in the novel