3. CRAFT

What did you notice about the author's style, laguage, point of view, literary devices, or structures that she/ he used to create the story?

The author's prose is from third person. Doon and Lina are the characters in this fictional novel. He interweaves dialogue magically. Setting the backdrop of a broken city beyond repair the reader is automatically skeptical of characters. He does well to promulgate this theme through Doon and Lina's questioning of the mayor.

As for literary devices, he uses metaphors and similes throughout the book. He uses these devices to allow the audience to relate to Doon and Lina's experience.

The guiding plot throughout the novel is a failed electricity system. I believe Jeanne DuPrau uses this as a metaphor for a failed society. The people of Ember are too reliant on the design of the Builders. They can only fulfill tasks of maintenance. The underlying metaphor/ theme is the consequence of ignorance. Ignorance allows for control by government. The people are handcuffed by this ignorance as Jeanne DuPrau makes clear in Lina's statement to Lizzie, "Looper's stealing, he isn't just stealing things for you. He has a store He steals things and sells them for huge prices."

Lizzie is so handcuffed by ignorance she refuses to believe this assertion. She even goes as far as to call Lina a liar.

DuPrau uses a typical structure in writing his story. Following Freytag's Pyramid, he starts with introducing the characters and the conflict. He next moves into developing those characters through interaction and dialogue. We find minor climaxes with Looper's theft, Grandma's death, and discovering the mayor passed out in the storage room. These all serve to build action and suspend our interest in anticipation for the ultimate climax.