Genre
Children's novel
Setting and Context
present time, town
Narrator and Point of View
Palmer
Tone and Mood
Sad, understanding
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Palmer, Antagonist: Bullies, the people in town
Major Conflict
Palmer has to kill a pigeon on his tenth birthday.
Climax
Palmer saves a pigeon instead of killing it.
Foreshadowing
Palmer saving the pigeon is foreshadowed by the non-violent attitude and love he has towards all living things
Understatement
Dorothy's help is understated, as she helps him see that the bullies are a bad influence on him.
Allusions
The reader might have allusions to the good samaritan in the bible.
Imagery
An important image in the story is the image of Palmer taking care of the pigeon, as it is all he wants to do.
Paradox
"Is killing birds good?" is a paradox Palmer has to face, as everyone in his town is doing it, and trying to make him do it as well.
Parallelism
There is a parallel line between Paler and Dorothy, as they both are non-violent in a violent community.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The animals are personified in the story.
