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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
28. Anse
Explanation and Analysis—Anse's Bible:
Anse makes an allusion to the Bible in Chapter 28 to elaborate his view of the way his world works:
It’s a hard country on man; it’s hard [...] Nowhere in this sinful world can a honest, hardworking man profit. It takes them that runs the stores in the towns, doing no sweating, living off of them that sweats. It aint the hardworking man, the farmer. Sometimes I wonder why we keep at it. It’s because there is a reward for us above, where they cant take their autos and such. Every man will be equal there and it will be taken from them that have and give to them that have not by the Lord.
Anse's allusion contains various biblical passages, spanning from Genesis to the Sermon on the Mount narrated in the Gospels. He chooses disparate passages from different books, time periods, and stories to demonstrate the incoherency he understands within the world around him. Choosing verses from the very beginning and nearly the end of the Bible, it is clear that Anse understands his philosophy to be complete. This demonstrates his inflexibility and rigidity in his beliefs and values. He is not open to criticism or changing his mind despite evidence that his worldview is flawed.
Related Themes:
