Genre
Young adult fiction
Setting and Context
High school, present day, during election season for the school board
Narrator and Point of View
The point of view is that of Jamie Crawford, who is also the protagonist of the novel
Tone and Mood
Combative, judgmental, fearful, confusing, conflicted, triumphant
Protagonist and Antagonist
Jamie Crawford is the progatonist, Lisa Buehl the antagonist
Major Conflict
The main conflict is between Lisa and the gay students at the high school.
Climax
The gay students come out publicly and take back their own power and belief in themselves.
Foreshadowing
Jamie's editorial in support of the distribution of condoms foreshadows a wider debate about the direction of sex education at the school.
Understatement
Lisa is said to be opposed to sex outside of marriage but this really understates the issue in terms of her bigotry.
Allusions
Lisa alludes to many passages from the Bible that she appropriates to prove her own beliefs about sex outside of traditional marriage.
Imagery
N/A
Paradox
Jamie does not really accept her own sexuality herself until it is challenged by outsiders.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Jamie's rising self esteem and her coming out to both herself and her peers.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The faculty refers to each of the teachers on staff at the school and tends to attribute them one opinion instead of individual expressions.
Personification
N/A
