Genre
Novel
Setting and Context
The book is set in London and Jamaica in the context of coming of age.
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Horrific, disheartening, hopeful
Protagonist and Antagonist
The main character is Clare Savage.
Major Conflict
Paul arrives home and finds in shock that his entire family has been murdered. He arranges for their burial.
Climax
The climax is when finally Clare returns to Jamaica from London and joins the resistance movement.
Foreshadowing
Clare’s departure from Miami to Jamaica foreshadowed Clare’s identity crisis.
Understatement
The essence of the teaching curriculum is understated. The mixed-race students find it difficult to cope with white students because the system is discriminatory.
Allusions
The story alludes to racial prejudice that mixed-race people face in white society.
Imagery
The imagery of race is predominant in the text because the author spends most of the part explaining the prejudice against mixed-race people.
Paradox
The main paradox is that the criminal gangs in Jamaica have become more powerful than the state. Because of corruption, the gangs have extended their drug empire to gain authority that suppresses the poor citizens.
Parallelism
The gang activities in Jamaica parallel the corruption activities.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Racism is personified as a being with the ability to oppress others.
