Genre
General Fiction
Setting and Context
Rural Canada, 2004
Narrator and Point of View
Third person narrative.
Tone and Mood
The tone is doubtful and desperate, and the mood is uncertain and resentful.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Clara Emerson; Antagonist: Clark
Major Conflict
Clark isn't earning enough money from his stable, so Clark orders Clara to work at Jamesion's house as a cleaning lady. Clara fabricates a lie that Leon Jamesion requested her favors in exchange for money. In return, her husband does not get angry and even devises a plan to blackmail Leon's wife.
Climax
Clara goes to Sylvia's house again upon Clark's order but goes against the plan and confesses everything to Sylvia. Sylvia suggests that Clara should leave her abusive husband and settle down to somewhere else. Sylvia's offer to start a new life in Canada seems exciting to Carla, and she agrees to leave.
Foreshadowing
Clara's return foreshadows the return and disappearance of her goat Flora, and it also hints that Clara will live miserably for the rest of her life.
Understatement
Clark mistreats Clara and is emotionally abusive. he knows that she will never leave him. She decides to leave him, but after spending a few hours at the bus station, Clara realizes that leaving Clark isn't possible and returns to her old life.
Allusions
As an allusion to her wife's temperament, Leon compares Sylvia with Dorothy Wordsworth.
Imagery
n/a
Paradox
As Sylvia and Clara's bond strengthens, she becomes a mother figure in her life. Sylvia wants Clara to live a good life, and she helps her boost her confidence. Sylvia's effort go to waste when Clara regrets her decision to leave her husband and returns to him.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Clara and Sylvia's lives. Both of them don't have a child, and Sylvia treats Clara as her daughter while Clara has a pet named Flora who is like her child.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
n/a
Personification
This story personifies Flora the goat as the symbol of freedom.
