A young man named David Swan falls asleep by the roadside and unknowingly misses several life-changing encounters.
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David Swan is the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “David Swan,” whose roadside slumber causes him to unknowingly pass by opportunities for love, wealth, and death.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| David Swan | 0 |
Statements (41)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
fictional character
ⓘ
short story protagonist ⓘ |
| age | young man ⓘ |
| appearsIn | short story "David Swan" NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWithAuthorThemes |
moral and philosophical reflection
ⓘ
the role of Providence in human life ⓘ |
| authorCountry | United States NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| awarenessAtEnd | believes nothing remarkable has happened ⓘ |
| characterType | ordinary traveler ⓘ |
| createdBy | Nathaniel Hawthorne NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| encountersMissedFrom |
a pair of would-be robbers
ⓘ
a wealthy couple seeking an heir ⓘ a young woman who might have loved him ⓘ |
| firstPublicationAuthor | Nathaniel Hawthorne NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| gender | male ⓘ |
| journeyPurpose | traveling to a town (unspecified in description) ⓘ |
| knowledgeOfMissedEvents | none ⓘ |
| literaryDeviceRelation |
dramatic irony
ⓘ
irony ⓘ |
| literaryPeriod | 19th-century American literature ⓘ |
| moralImplication | humans may sleep through crucial chances in life ⓘ |
| narrativeFunction | illustrates how life-changing events can pass unnoticed ⓘ |
| narrativeOutcome | wakes up unaware of what he has missed ⓘ |
| nationality | American (fictional) ⓘ |
| notableAction | falls asleep by the roadside ⓘ |
| physicalAction |
lies down to sleep
ⓘ
rests in the shade ⓘ |
| protagonistOf | "David Swan" NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| readerPerspective | reader knows more about his fate than he does ⓘ |
| settingContext | a journey along a country road ⓘ |
| stateDuringEvents | asleep ⓘ |
| storyGenre | short story ⓘ |
| storyLocation | roadside near a spring ⓘ |
| symbolicRole | represents human unawareness of fate ⓘ |
| themeRelation |
chance and missed opportunities
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fate versus free will ⓘ unconsciousness to life’s possibilities ⓘ |
| unawareOf | events occurring around him ⓘ |
| unknowinglyMisses |
encounter with death
ⓘ
opportunity for love ⓘ opportunity for wealth ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
David Swan
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plotSummary
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A young man named David Swan falls asleep by the roadside and unknowingly misses several life-changing encounters.
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