The Egypt Game Literary Elements

Fiction

It is set in a suburban neighborhood in California. The story takes place in the late 1960s.

It is narrated in third-person in a limited omniscient perspective.

The tone is adventurous, imaginative, and mysterious. The mood is a blend of wonder, friendship, and intrigue.

The main protagonists are April Hall and Melanie Ross. The antagonist is the unknown murderer.

Within the group of children participating in the Egypt Game, there are moments of tension and disagreement. Some members of the group, such as Marshall and Elizabeth, initially disapprove of the game. This creates a conflict of acceptance and understanding among the children. Moreover, the murder that takes place in the neighborhood serves as the primary external conflict in the novel.

The climax occurs when the children discover the identity of the murderer as Mr. Schmitt's cousin.

Elizabeth often expresses her fears and anxieties about the game and its potential consequences. Her fears serve as a subtle foreshadowing of the dangers that will arise.

"All the stuff April knew made her a know-it-all; her wonderful differentness was only kookiness; and her courage only meant she’d punch you in the nose if you kidded her."

This understatement diminishes April's qualities.

Throughout the novel, there are references to various aspects of Egyptian mythology, rituals, and historical figures. The children draw inspiration from books on ancient Egypt and incorporate their knowledge into the creation of their game.

“Their eyes flew over the broken birdbath, the crumbling statue of Diana the Huntress, and the stack of fancy wooden porch pillars, and came to rest on something in the lean-to shack. It was a cracked and chipped plaster reproduction of the famous bust of Nefertiti.”

The imagery helps to set the scene while highlighting the significance of the objects discovered by the children.

The contrast between the innocence of their play and the harsh reality of a crime highlights the paradoxical nature of their situation.

April and Melanie, the two main characters, have distinct personalities but also exhibit parallel traits. April is imaginative and tends to take the lead in the game. Melanie, on the other hand, is practical and often brings a sense of order to their activities.

N/A

"Fear made a great silence out-of-doors." Personification is used to attribute human-like qualities to fear indicating that it creates silence.