Genre
Novel
Setting and Context
Written in the context of Native American history
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
The tone is wretched, and the mood is cynical.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is John Peyton, Sr.
Major Conflict
There is a conflict between the Native Red Indians and the white settlers pushing the natives to extinction.
Climax
The climax comes when Buchan uncovers the truth about the brutal kidnappings and killings of Red Indians. Buchan discovers that the murders and kidnappings are associated with Peyton's family.
Foreshadowing
The cold reception of Buchan at the bay of Exploits by the Peyton family is foreshadowed by the scramble for resources in the Rich Indian settlement.
Understatement
Buchan’s mission in the Bay of Exploits is understated. Later, the investigative role of Buchan to uncover merciless kidnappings and murders of the Red Indians shows that he had good intentions.
Allusions
The story alludes to the factors that led to the extinction of the Red Indians from the ancestral land.
Imagery
The description of Cassie’s roles in Peyton’s family shows readers the patriarchal set by Peyton John Senior.
Paradox
The main paradox is that Captain Buchan receives a cold reception from his fellow white settler at the Bay of Exploits.
Parallelism
There is parallelism between the extinction of the Red Indian and Peyton’s exploitation.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Colonization is embodied as cruel and merciless.
