A Death in the Family
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Key Facts
full title · A Death in the Family
author · James Agee
type of work · Novel
genre · Fiction
language · English
time and place written · 1955; New York City
date of first publication · 1957
publisher · Grosset and Dunlap
narrator · Unnamed third person narrator
point of view · Third person omniscient
tone · The tone changes throughout the story. Often when there is no dialogue, Agee's writing style is poetic and abstract; during the dialogue, the language is realistic and down-to earth
tense · Immediate past
setting (time) · 1915
setting (place) · Knoxville, Tennessee
protagonist · Rufus
antagonist · There is not a specific antagonist per se—the death of Rufus's father serves as a general antagonist to every character
climax · Jay's death
themes · The role of religion; childhood perception
motifs · Memory
symbols · The butterfly
foreshadowing · Description of the automobile starting up at the end of Chapter 2; the title of the novel
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