Genre
Coming of Age Novel (Fiction)
Setting and Context
Set in summer 1944 during World War II
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative in Josh’s perspective
Tone and Mood
The tone is tense, and the mood is intriguing and informative.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is Josh Arnold.
Major Conflict
There is a conflict between Josh’s perspective and his mother’s extreme racism.
Climax
The climax comes when Josh and his mother get along well with the locals in the New Mexico state.
Foreshadowing
Her husband's absence foreshadows the depression and alcoholism that affects Ann Arnold.
Understatement
The completeness of a family unit is understated in the story. The absence of Arnold in Ann’s life impacts negatively in her life.
Allusions
The story alludes to coming of age during World War II.
Imagery
The novel's title 'The Red Sky' depicts sight imagery. For instance, the author says that the colour of the sky during morning hours is red, which is also symbolic of signifying danger.
Paradox
The main paradox in the text is that Ann Arnold is a racist and drunkard. For instance, she spends most of her time abusing locals in Sagrado as uncultured, and she spends most of her time drinking alcohol.
Parallelism
There is parallelism between Ann’s life in Sagrado and the daily lives of racist communities in New Mexico.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Uncultured is used as a metonymy for uncivilized.
Personification
World War II is personified as a human who separates Ann from her husband.
