Analysis

An analysis of the short story “The First Day” by Edward P. Jones shows that it follows a linear plot structure. The story provides a chronological account of the narrator’s first day at school.

The main character in the story is the unnamed narrator who is taken to school by her mother. The events in the story are told from her perspective.

The physical setting is Washington D.C., United States of America. The time setting is September, sometime between 1945 and 1992. The social setting explores class differences.

The story is told by a first-person narrator. Her account mixes the memories of the child with the experienced perspective of the adult.

The language in the narration is formal. This provides a marked contrast with the style used in the dialogue, which is informal and sometimes grammatically incorrect.

You can read a more detailed analysis in the following pages.