Genre
A novel
Setting and Context
The events of the story take place in Newark and New York in the 20th century.
Narrator and Point of View
The story is told from the first-person point of view. The narrator is Alexander Portnoy.
Tone and Mood
Alex’s tone is sarcastic, while the mood is depressing and suffocating.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Alex Portnoy is the protagonist of the story. He is also the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is person vs. self.
Climax
Alex’s impotence represents the climax of the story.
Foreshadowing
“These, Doctor, are the earliest impressions I have of my parents”
This sentence indicates that Alex has a meeting with a psychologist, which means that he has some issues; what is more, those problems have something to do with his parents.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The novel alludes to Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
Imagery
The story is overwhelmed with images of Alex’s parents, mostly of the mother.
Paradox
“Why we can eat pig on Pell Street and not at home is because…frankly I still haven’t got the whole thing figured out.”
The inability to answer the easiest questions is paradoxical.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
“Oh, oh, oh – thirteen years old and the mouth on him!” (Mouth is metonymy which means that Alex talks too arrogantly).
“Where are my glasses?” ("Glasses" are synecdoche that means spectacles).
Personification
“Please, it gives you character.” (It is Alex’s nose.)
