Genre
Fiction
Setting and Context
The book was set in Vietnam in the 19th century.
Narrator and Point of View
The narrator is a boy who is skiing with his father.
Tone and Mood
The tone is assertive, and the mood is humorous.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The narrator is the protagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is when the narrator and his father are trapped in the storm while skiing.
Climax
The climax is when the narrator’s father manages to maneuver and drive against the forces of snow to ensure that narrator is reunited with his mother as promised.
Foreshadowing
The events unfolding at the nightclub foreshadowed the narrator's reunion with his father.
Understatement
The state trooper understated the ability of the narrator's father to drive in the snow.
Allusions
The story alludes to the relationship of a father and son despite the entanglement in their marriage.
Imagery
The narrator’s description of the trooper depicts sight imagery. The narrator says, “His face bleached by the cold, snowflakes clinging to his eyebrows and the fur trim of his jacket and cap.” The imagery helps readers to see the extent of the snow and its impact.
Paradox
The narrator's father is a paradoxical character. For instance, he warns his son never to attempt driving in the snow, but he is already doing it with him.
Parallelism
The narrator's love for skiing parallels his father's confidence to take risks, such as driving on snow.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The snow is incarnated as having the ability to deny the narrator’s chance to reunite with his mother as promised by his father.
