The Cabin at the End of the World Literary Elements

Horror, Survival, LGBTQ

Remote cabin located deep in rural New Hampshire, before the apocolupse.

The narrator is unnamed and told in a third-person limited point of view.

Tone: Suspenseful, tense

Mood: Foreboding, ominous

Protagonist: Wen, Andrew, and Eric Antagonist: The four strangers

The main conflict is between the protagonists, Wen, Eric, and Andrew, and a group of strangers who claim to be on a mission from God. These strangers have come to their remote cabin to kill one of the three protaganists to save humanity from an impending apocalypse.

The climax occurs when Wen is killed on accident.

When Andrew and his family arrive at the cabin he notices a strange symbol carved into one of the trees. This symbol is later revealed to be related to the group and its mission.

Leonard uses understatement when he downplays Eric's concussion and instead insists that he is "cleaned up." Even though Eric has been severely concussed, Leonard speaks clinically and does not give any indication of how serious it is. This subtlety helps to convey a tone of calmness despite the seriousness of the situation.

The narrator alludes to Superman by referring to Andrew and Eric puffing out their chests in "Superman poses" in front of the Blue House. This comparison is used as a metaphor for how they felt about their last morning in Hong Kong before leaving for Hubei Province.

“As Adriane walks onto the deck with the screen slider held out in front of her like a shield, Leonard picks up Redmond’s feet. He tries tucking a leg under each of his arms, but it’s an awkward hold, and the legs drop out and hit the floor with a wet splat. The earthy and iron-tinted smell of blood and piss intensifies with the disturbance of the body, as though the legs are bellows pumping out tainted air. Leonard grabs fistfuls of Redmond’s jeans cuffed around the ankle. With the legs reelevated, the smell further intensifies”

Wen's parents are determined to protect her from a group of strangers who have come to their cabin demanding something from them. On one hand, the two men want to protect their daughter and keep her safe from harm. However, they also feel compelled to fulfill the demands of these strangers for fear of what could happen if they do not.

Throughout the story, Andrew and Eric are presented with the choice of sacrificing one of them. This is paralleled by Leonard's group being given a choice between their individual will or an unknown power that compels them to continue on their mission no matter what. Both groups must make difficult decisions and must face death in some form regardless of which path they choose.

Metonymy: Sabrina's gun is referred to as a "black brick of polymer."

“The room darkens as the sun continues to play hide-and-seek.”

Personification in this sentence is giving the sun human characteristics by saying it plays a game.