John Archer's Nose Literary Elements

Short story

The book is written in the context of differing religious views.

Third-person narrative

Sad, melancholy, hopeless, disheartening

The protagonists are Perry Dart and Dr. John Archer.

The main conflict is that Dr. John Archer’s patient (a young child) dies in indistinct circumstances.

The climax comes when Dr. Archer realizes that the young baby who died was misdiagnosed by the traditional doctor.

Superstition is foreshadowed by the death of the kid patient who was initially taken to the traditional doctor who gave the wrong prescription.

The traditional way of healing is understated in the text. For instance, the Conjured-woman who attended to the young baby does not truly reflect the power of superstition.

The story alludes to traditional healing beliefs versus modern hospital settings.

The sense of smell is conveyed to readers through Dr. Archer's curiosity. The narrator writes, "The woman, clad in gold-figured black silk Chinese pyjamas, was well under thirty, slender, with yellow skin which retained a decided make-up even at this hour. Her boyish bob was reddish with frequent ‘frying,’ and her eyes were cold and hard.”

The paradox of traditional healing methods is dominant in the book. For instance, Dr. Archer is shocked to learn that part of the traditional doctor's medication offered to the child contained dried human hair! Consequently, traditional healers are witches because they use crooked ways to convince the masses that they are powerful.

Traditional healing methods parallel the advocacy of hospitals.

N/A

The traditional charms are embodied as having supernatural abilities to heal.