Genre
Collection of short stories
Setting and Context
Written in the context of surgical doctors’ experiences with patients
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Enlightening and Sanguine
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist in 'A Blue Ribbon Affair' is Bertie Shield, while the central character in ‘The Consultation’ is The Doctor.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is in ‘A Blue Ribbon Affair’ in which Bertie cannot get off the reflection of the blue ribbon on the dead woman’s body.
Climax
The climax is in ‘A Blue Ribbon Affair’ when Bertie and Joyce have sexual intercourse in the same Fletcher they used carrying the dead woman to the fridge.
Foreshadowing
Gloria’s honest gesture of paying the Doctor in ‘The Consultation’ foreshadows her humaneness. Therefore, Gloria’s decision to be a prostitute should not be judged.
Understatement
The roles of prostitutes are understated in the story 'The Consultation.' Despite using their bodies to earn, they are human, and they can be significant members of society if they are given an opportunity.
Allusions
The story ‘A Blue Ribbon Affair’ alludes to intimacy and reflection.
Imagery
The images of the dead woman in ‘A Blue Ribbon Affair’ depict sight imagery aiding readers to comprehend the setting and plot.
Paradox
The main paradox is in 'A Blue Ribbon' affair in which Bertie and Joyce have sexual intercourse in the Fletcher used to carry dead bodies.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The lump in ‘The consultation’ is used as a metonymy for cancer.
Personification
N/A
