Characters
Who is Peter?
Adam and Eve's son
Most of the story happens here
At the beach
What fruit appears in the story? What could it be symbolic of?
Apple - their love - as she first met him with a bucket full of apples
What is said at the beginning of the story to allude to a false reality?
“The waves lap at her skin” is this device.
Personification
Does Eve interact with her husband in the story?
No, she reflects on memories of him. She interacts with her son
With regards to the setting, what is significant about the sycamore tree?
It is a figment of Eve's imagination.
The swing symbolises this stage of life
Childhood/Youth
The phrase, "rearrange it's atoms" hints at this shifting.
Reality / Identity
“Electric goosebumps exploded” is this technique.
The women's changing memories, and stages in life links to what theme?
Identity
The ocean represents a duality of beauty and _____.
What do the ships sailing away represent?
Adam's death/departure from Eve's life
Peter’s tears hint at this event.
Death / Loss
“Rearranges its atoms” is this type of figurative language.
Metaphor
Adam represents more than just a person, what abstract idea does he represent?
The sycamore tree connects to these memories
Love/Childhood
What is the star symbolic of?
Their love - he courted her by starlight with poems and stolen fruit
How does this add to the plot?
She remembers their first kiss, before the ocean took him with its ships; first to the war, and then so many places she stopped counting.
The ships become a symbol of his loss/death
“Cheeks rosier than the ripest pink lady” is this comparison device. Also discuss why the author used this device
Simile - pink lady are a type of apple which reconnects Eve with the memories of Adam, their love and childhood.
Why does Eve's character get more youthful as the plot develops?
This reflects her memories of her youth/who she used to be. Due to her condition, she is losing touch of herself and reality.
The shifting setting reflects this condition
Dementia
The sycamore seeds symbolise this.
Memories
PLOT Question:
The final apple connects back to earlier moments in the story. Similarly the sycamore seeds and the ocean are woven in at the start and at the end.
This plot technique is called…
Circular structure
Adam’s name is a reference to another text or story. This is called an…
Why is the text using the same characters and name as in the bible?
Allusion - it is a symbol of love and partnership. It represents the timelessness of love