Analysis

Here, you can read a summary of our analysis of the short story “Paradise” by Matthew Kneale.

The short story has a simple plot structure focusing on a single event. An English man goes to a village in Nepal and believes the people are naturally welcoming, whereas, in fact, they treat him kindly because they want him to include their village in a tourist guidebook.

“Paradise” by Matthew Kneale includes several characters: Neville, Thakali, the old man in the army jacket, Thakali’s wife and son, and the villagers. In our analysis, we will point out the traits of the most important characters, Neville and the old man in the army jacket.

The physical setting focuses on the landscape of the village area and includes Thakali’s house and the building where Neville is taken at the end. We don't know the exact time setting of the story, but it probably takes place around the time of publishing. The social setting presents aspects about Western society versus society in developing countries, about tourism in developing countries, and about village life in Nepal.

The narrator has limited knowledge on the events and the language of the short story “Paradise” by Matthew Kneale is conversational and easy to follow. Imagery, similes, repetitions, rhetorical questions, and symbols help construct and convey deeper meanings in the story.

You can find the full analysis in the following pages.