Meridian Literary Elements

Fiction; historical fiction

Southern United States, 1960

Third-person narrator

The tone of the novel is filled with anger and power. Although the characters exist in a world where the prevailing mood is hateful, they attempt to find ways to move forward and fight for justice.

The protagonist is Meridian. There is no singular identifiable antagonist, though racism and sexism could be considered conceptual antagonists.

The major conflict faced by Meridian and the people she loves is their attempt to survive in a world where hatred and violence are the norm. Meridian and her friends must make sense of random, brutal attacks, racist obstruction of justice, and the lack of support from anyone around them.

The climax of the novel comes when Meridian attends a black church that is focused on activism and sees a bereaved man talking about his son; she swears to him that she would kill for the revolution before allowing his son to be murdered again.

In the beginning of the novel, Truman doesn't want to talk to Meridian about his wife or daughter, foreshadowing his divorce and his daughter' death.

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There are allusions to real historical events throughout the novel, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy's funerals.

See the ClassicNote's separate section on imagery.

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