Genre
historical fiction
Setting and Context
Europe, beginning of the twentieth century up until the Second World War
Narrator and Point of View
Narrator: omniscient;
Point of view: third person
Tone and Mood
Tone: neutral;
Mood: tense, nightmarish
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Ursula; Antagonist: Hitler and the war
Major Conflict
A woman called Ursula goes through being reborn to live the same life over and over again.
Climax
Ursula is finally aware of her existence and her purpose. She lives the final life shown in the novel to fulfill her purpose of killing Hitler, only to be reborn again.
Foreshadowing
"Sylvie wondered when death would seek his revenge."
Understatement
"Because life is an adventure, of course." "I would say it was more of an endurance race," Sylvie said. "Or an obstacle course."
Allusions
"Frailty, thy name is woman. Hamlet."
-The novel itself is an allusion to the real part in history which is the Second World War
Imagery
Imagery of the war and the destruction is prevalent in the novel.
Paradox
"It was a long time ago now. And it was yesterday."
Parallelism
"The beginning of the end. The end of the beginning."
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
"It was war itself that was evil, not men."
