Literary Devices in Flora and Ulysses
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
Flora and Ulysses is set in a modern day world that looks a lot like home. After all, Flora is just like any other ten-year-old… aside from the fact that she obsessively reads Terrible Things Can...
Narrator Point of View
The title is our first clue that this book isn't just about one person. In fact, both Flora and Ulysses share the limelight throughout the tale. So, it's natural to hear from both of them when it c...
Genre
You might not see any imaginary creatures (think: elves, trolls, unicorns, dragons) like you do in most fantasies, but Flora and Ulysses still makes the cut for the genre. Why? It's got an out-of-t...
Tone
Even when things get pretty dark up in this novel (and believe us, they do), the tone is still lighthearted and playful. It's just one of the ways we know we're not in a tragedy (that and—spoiler...
Writing Style
As a matter-of-fact, the writing style in the novel is just that: matter-of-fact. We get a bunch of details whenever we meet a new character or see something important happening, so if you've ever...
What's Up With the Title?
With a title like Flora and Ulysses, you wouldn't be blamed for thinking the story was about, well, people named Flora and Ulysses. And as it turns out, that's exactly what the story is about, asid...
What's Up With the Ending?
In the end, Ulysses makes a run for it and manages to get away from the shovel and Phyllis; Flora and William become friends; Flora and her mom make up; and Flora finally feels like her parents lov...
Tough-o-Meter
Superhero stories might be cool, but they're not exactly tough to follow. We love us some good old-fashioned battles of good against evil (or in this case, squirrel against mom), but we don't think...
Plot Analysis
Vacuuming Villainy When Flora catches Mrs. Tootie Tickham vacuuming her lawn, she notices that the vacuum cleaner sucks up a squirrel in the yard. Uh-oh. Tootie feels awful, but Flora knows what to...
Trivia
Which came first: Ulysses or Flora? The squirrel. Author Kate DiCamillo saw a squirrel on her porch and then came up with the idea for the book. (Source.)Did you notice that every time Ulysses does...
Steaminess Rating
Flora and Ulysses is so G rated that the only thing we see or even hear about is a little hand holding, and even that makes Flora quake in her boots. Or sweat, to be more accurate. Her mom might w...
Allusions
Rainer Maria Rilke (25.43)Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (37.14)