Analysis

The analysis of the short story “Jumping Monkey Hill” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie shows that the story has a chronological structure. At the same time, the story jumps back and forth between the main narrative which shows Ujunwa at the writers’ workshop and the short story she is writing.

The main characters in the story are Ujunwa and Edward. Ujunwa is a Nigerian woman who, during her time at the workshop, is writing a story inspired by her experience with sexism. Edward is the organizer of the workshop, who fails to behave respectfully towards the other participants and ultimately causes Ujunwa to leave the workshop.

The physical setting of the story is Cape Town, South Africa, at the Jumping Monkey Hill resort. The social setting explores the general cultural differences between Edward and the African participants.

The story is narrated by a third-person narrator who focuses on Ujunwa’s perspective. The narrator reveals Ujunwa’s thoughts and feelings about her experience at the workshop.

The story is told using neutral language and includes an advanced vocabulary. Different metaphors, similes, and symbols also enhance the meaning of the text.

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

Engelsk

Short story analysis

I denne vejledning får du Studienets hjælp til at analysere noveller (short stories) i engelsk.

Excerpt

Below, you can read an excerpt from our study guide:

Edward Campbell

Outer characterization

Edward Campbell is an important character in the short story “Jumping Monkey Hill” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. He is an old British man who has come to South Africa as the organizer of the African Writers’ Workshop. He is married to a woman named Hilary, who joined him on his trip. Ujunwa finds his face “pleasant but unformed” and notices the “thin hair scattered over his scalp” and his “two front teeth the colour of mildew”...