Genre
Non-fiction
Setting and Context
The book explores the lives of Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The place is the US and the time is between 1980s and the first decade of the 21st century.
Narrator and Point of View
The narration is of the first-person type, and the narrator is Linda Hirshman.
Tone and Mood
The tone is realistic and exciting; the mood is thoughtful.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are the protagonists.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the book is the issue of a woman's struggle to possess equal rights, and the protagonists’ influence to the movement.
Climax
The plot is linear, and a traditional climax is not observed. Though the retirement of each protagonist may be considered as a climax, their struggle never ended.
Foreshadowing
The prejudices of women’s roles foreshadow obstacles and hardships in career and life of both Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This is illustrated on the examples of the heroines, but at the same time their success shows that every prejudice can be overcome by persistence and belief in one’s importance.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The book is abundant in allusions to literature, history, culture, and the legal system.
Imagery
The images of the US Court’s reality are depicted.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
The parallels of Sandra Day O’Connor's and Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s lives and careers are presented in the book.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
“Cooperation from other litigators in the field” (“the field” is metonymy for legislature system).
Personification
Both Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are personified as icons of women’s rights movement.
