Genre
Nonfiction
Setting and Context
The time: the end of the twentieth century The place: Daphne Major Island in the Galapagos Islands
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person type of narration
Tone and Mood
The tone is realistic and introspective. The mood is involving and informative.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonists of the book are finches.
Major Conflict
The major conflict stands in the idea that evolution may apply its laws within just few years, not centuries as Darwin supposed.
Climax
There is no climax in its traditional meaning, though the departure of Peter and Rosemary Grant may be considered as a climax of the book
Foreshadowing
The situation, in which humanity with its technological revolution has put the Earth’s fauna and flora, foreshadows difficulties for both humanity and nature.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The major allusion of the book is that to Darwin and his evolutionary theories. The book also contains allusions to Judeo-Christian myths.
Imagery
Images of nature on Daphna Major Island, and detailed description of finches, are performed in the book.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
The author draws parallels between Darwin’s works and the Grants’ researches.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
‘The Beak of the Finch’ had some very interesting ideas about the different paths evolution follows under different circumstances (‘evolution’ is personified)
