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Motifs
Definition of Personification
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the... read full definition
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Plus Ça Change:
As Gene stares at the tree from which Finny fell, Knowles uses an idiom and personification to illustrate Gene's reflections on time, change, and memory:
The tree was not only stripped by the cold season, it seemed weary from age, enfeebled, dry. I was thankful, very thankful that I had seen it. So the more things remain the same, the more they change after all—plus c’est la même chose, plus ça change.
The French idiom Gene uses here translates to "the more things remain the same, the more they change." It captures one of the novel’s central ideas: that while nothing is ever actually unchanging, people tend to repeat their mistakes and return to the same patterns of behavior. The only thing that’s unchanging is the relationship between continuity and transformation. Here, Gene notes that although the tree is still standing, its appearance has evolved over the 15 years that have passed. Like the Devon School itself, it has both fundamentally changed and remained the same.
The personification of the tree as "weary from age, enfeebled, dry" also endows it with human traits. The tree played such an important role in Gene’s past that it takes on an agency of its own here. By depicting the tree as an “enfeebled” and aged being, Gene projects his emotions about returning to the Devon School onto it.
Related Themes:
Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Cold Yankee Stars:
In Chapter 7 Knowles employs metaphor and personification to convey the subdued atmosphere at the Devon School during winter, which shapes Gene's mood and thoughts as he gazes into the night. The snow and stars assume symbolic importance as Gene thinks about the pressures his world places upon him:
Devon, muffled under the gentle occupation of the snow, was dominated by them; the cold Yankee stars ruled this night. They did not invoke in me thoughts of God, or sailing before the mast, or some great love as crowded night skies at home had done; I thought instead, in the light of those cold points, of the decision facing me.
The metaphor of Devon being "muffled under the gentle occupation of the snow" makes the snow seem like a military force. In World War II hostile occupying forces took over large swaths of the world, and Gene sees the snow as akin to an army asserting dominance over his world at Devon. The author’s use of "occupation" here implies that the snow, although soft, commands the environment. It muffles the usual clamor of the activities of school life, making the narrator feel chilled and exposed to the gaze of the stars.
The personification of the "cold Yankee stars" here—which are strong enough to “dominate” even the snow—emphasizes how alone and vulnerable Gene feels. The stars are "cold" and watchful, as though they have agency and can exercise judgement over Gene. Because he’s at school in New England, the stars also have a “Yankee” quality to their personification. Their influence feels like the influence of Gene’s “Yankee” social world, which restricts him from expressing his feelings and chooses a narrow range of possibilities for his future. The stars’ freezing light also illuminates the practical, stern realities that await Gene after he graduates. These aren’t the romantic, dreamy night skies of his home, and they don’t make him feel closer to God or to any higher purpose. Instead, they make him feel vulnerable and alone as he faces the inevitable future.
Related Themes:
