The Tale-Teller Literary Elements

Fiction, Adventure

Quebec, when it was a French colony. At the time, only Catholics were allowed to settle in Quebec.

The narrator is in the third person. The narrator holds the view that the system of life limited women from reaching their potential. Women were not allowed to study or sail like men were.

The tone of the story is nostalgic as Esther narrates of her adventures around the world on a sail ship. The mood is sombre as Esther is not sure whether she will be allowed to stay in Quebec or she would be sent back to France where she was engaged to a man who she did not love.

The protagonist is Esther who is rebellious against the system that declares that women are lesser than men. The antagonist in the novel is the way of life that locked women out of opportunities such as formal education and travel.

The major conflict in the novel is whether to send Esther back to France or not. This was because Esther had come to Quebec in disguise as a boy and since she was not catholic and she was an unaccompanied woman, it was against the law to allow her to settle in Quebec.

The climax is reached when Esther's father sends a letter to Quebec claiming her as his lost daughter. Esther is then sent back to France to her family.

Esther had foreshadowed that she would grow in Quebec and she did. She made good friends and even was an assistant to a doctor. Esther learnt new skills in the field of medicine.

Mr. Varin told Esther that he wanted to be her guide in Quebec. This is an understatement of his intentions because he wanted to have a romantic relationship with her.

Biblical allusion to the Garden of Eden. This is where Esther compared Quebec to the Garden of Eden because it was laden with food just as the Garden of Eden is described.

The description of Quebec town as, '... green hills rolled away in the distance and the sun sparkled on the water.' The use of adjectives such as 'green' build imagery as the town can be pictured in the mind of the reader.

Esther said that when she lived with the apes, each day was like and unlike the previous one. This is a paradoxical statement because both states cannot exist at the same time.

The narrator draws a parallel between Captain Salaberry who was dressed in a blue overcoat and a clean linen shirt and a colonial official who was dressed in fur. The intention of the parallel between the two men is to show the social classes. Captain Salaberry was dressed in his best clothes yet they were no match for the colonial official because he was a sailor.

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