Genre
Historical fiction, fairy tale
Setting and Context
Set in the early 1980s, in a Mississippi town
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
The tone is insensitive, and the mood is mysterious.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is Medusa, and the antagonists are Poseidon and Athene.
Major Conflict
There is a major conflict between Medusa and Athene. Athene hates women, she intentionally subjects Medusa to brutal punishment, and she plots to kill her.
Climax
The climax comes when Medusa is converted into a deadly monster.
Foreshadowing
Medusa's rape incident is foreshadowed by the notorious sexual urges of the male Greek gods.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The story alludes to ancient Greek mythology.
Imagery
The decryption of Medusa's sisters is a perfect way the author depicts a sense of sight. The author says that Medusa's sisters are monsters with mammoth wings, claws, and snakes in their heads, which act as hairs. Therefore, the author paints a picture of monster creatures in the readers' minds.
Paradox
The main paradox is that Athene punishes Medusa selectively, leaving the main culprit roaming freely. Poseidon rapes Medusa, but instead of punishing the sexual assaulter, Medusa is punished.
Parallelism
There is a parallelism between Athene’s decision to punish Medusa and the plotting exercise to kill her.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The gods are personified as having human traits.
