Genre
Tragic play
Language
English
Setting and Context
The action takes place in London and is presented through a series of flashbacks.
Narrator and Point of View
Because this is a play, there is no narrator. Instead, each character presents the events they are experiencing from a first-person point of view through their dialogues.
Tone and Mood
The tone and mood used in the play are a combination between neutral and chaotic.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is John and the antagonists are the characters who are unable to accept him for who he is and who push him to the breaking point.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is an internal one and is the result of John's incapability of reconciling his inner desires and the social pressures he is subjected to.
Climax
The play reaches its climax when John accepts who he really is.
Foreshadowing
The first scene in which John is described as sitting near the body of a man whom he just killed foreshadows the description of his horrible experiences.
Understatement
Towards the middle of the play, the author transmits the idea that the therapist John was seeing helped him accept his true desires and impulsions. This is later proven to be an understatement when it is revealed that John was even more unstable after seeing a therapist when compared to how he was when he was trying to deny his true self.
Allusions
One of the main allusions we find in the play is that John is not the one to blame for his actions and that the behavior of those around him and their actions are the true reason why he did what he did.
Imagery
The most important imagery in the play is that of the paper cranes. They are frequently mentioned in the play and also have a deep symbolic meaning for the character.
Paradox
One of the main paradoxical ideas we see presented in the play is the way in which John is most unstable after coming to grips with his true desires.
Parallelism
A parallel is drawn between the main character, John, and his father. The parallel is used here to explain why Jhon has a hard time accepting who he is and to present the image of an ideal man and a person who is not accepted by society.
Personification
We have a personification at the end of the play in the line "the flowers on the table looked at the empty room in despair".
Use of Dramatic Devices
The dramatic devices used in the play are stage direction and the dramatic monologue. Both are used here as a way of characterizing the characters and revealing their true feelings and intentions.
