Genre
Short Stories
Setting and Context
Beattie's stories have many different settings. Her story "Snow," describes a winter landscape.
Narrator and Point of View
The protagonists are often women who are unhappy or unfulfilled.
Tone and Mood
The tone is sometimes brisk due to Beattie's minimalist style. Otherwise, it is pensive and philosophical.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Beattie's characters are nuanced, often showing traits of a protagonist and antagonist.
Major Conflict
Many of Beattie's stories explore the lives of modern women, and the difficulties they face in their personal relationships.
Climax
Beattie does not tend to build up to a climax in her stories.
Foreshadowing
The title "Janus" foreshadows the protagonist's two-faced nature.
Understatement
Beattie suggests that when we think about other people, we understate the issues they might be going through. For example, many of her protagonists deal with hidden problems that the people around them don't know about.
Allusions
N/A
Imagery
Beattie beautifully describes a wintry landscape in the story "Snow."
Paradox
Many of the protagonists hope to find fulfilling relationships, but stop themselves from achieving them.
Parallelism
In "Janus" the protagonist's personal and professional life are paralleled.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The snowplow is personified in the story "Snow."
