Genre
Fiction
Setting and Context
The book is set in 2001 and written from the family relations point of view.
Narrator and Point of View
Second-person narration’s point of view
Tone and Mood
The anguishing and emotional tone
Protagonist and Antagonist
The narrator is the protagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is when the narrator witnesses her father beating her elder brother for refusing to eat because he argues he does not like Malaysian food.
Climax
The climax is in 'Four Days from Oregon' when Irene's daughter refuses to go back with her mother from a trip and instead demands to get back to her biological father.
Foreshadowing
Irene’s discomfort in her marriage foreshadows the possibility of her getting divorced and look for another man who can love her better.
Understatement
Paula's best friend's decision to avoid her is a major understatement. Paula's best friend does not know that Paula's abrupt change of behavior is attributable to her anxiety and Hyperphagia condition.
Allusions
The stories allude to sexual abuse by close family members. For instance, Paula runs away from home because her father sexually abuses her.
Imagery
The father's dress while in the kitchen depicts the sense of sight to readers. Similarly, hearing imagery is depicted when the narrator talks to the table in an embarrassing voice.
Paradox
The entire cooking exercise in the kitchen is paradoxical. For instance, the narrator first thinks that cooking rice is easy, but it turns out to be the most challenging task to undertake.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The table is personified to have the ability to hear what the narrator is saying.
