The House at Sugar Beach Literary Elements

Autobiography

Sugar Beach Liberia, before, during and after the military coup of 1980; Knoxville, TN, North Carolina, Iraq.

The narrator is the author and she tells the story from her own perspective.

At the beginning of the book the tone and mood are both upbeat, happy, empowered and positive; however, the tone quickly turns to one of murderousness and change, and the mood becomes one of terror.

After the Coopers flee Liberia the tone and mood become positive again, turning quickly to paradoxical and conflicted.

Cooper is the protagonist; the military leaders who overthrow the Liberian government are the antagoists.

The major conflict in the book is the Civil War in Liberia.

Cooper returns to Liberia and is reunited with her foster sister Eunice.

The overthrow of the government by what are guerilla forces foreshadows the murder of Cooper's uncle and the need for the family to escape.

Cooper classifies her childhood as privileged but this seems to be an understatement in that she grew up in a mansion with over twenty rooms, and was related to members of the government.

The author alludes to world events that have impacted her life, particularly wars, such as the Iraq war.

The imagery is very vivid when it comes to describing the atrocities the author witnessed after the overthrow of the government. An example is the public televised execution of her uncle which is described in a way that enables the reader to not only picture the event but also to feel the fear and horror experienced by his family looking on.

Cooper is not very happy in school in Tennessee but this unhappiness leads her to throw herself into her work which results in a great deal of success and opportunity.

There is a parallel between Cooper's reconnection with Eunice in Liberia and her ability to forgive herself for leaving her there, and to go on with the rest of her life.

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