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Pathos
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 10
Explanation and Analysis—Cloak-Wearing Boulders:
Personification, simile, and imagery bring the natural world to life in Chapter 10. During his journey out of Gods Lake with Naomi, Saul watches in wonder at their surroundings:
The humped shapes of boulders on the shore wore cloaks of white. Trees with new snow heavy in their branches looked like tired soldiers heading home from war.
By investing the wilderness with an almost human-like character, the novel’s flourish of personification doubles as imagery. More, it delicately balances weariness with persistence—the boulders’ “cloaks of white” and simile of the trees resembling “tired soldiers” obliquely gesture toward death. The details manage to communicate a sense of exhaustion even while continuing to affirm the presence of life. Cloak-wearing boulders and soldier-like trees suggest a liveliness amid circumstances so seemingly inhospitable to it. Where Naomi had earlier announced that “we will die,” nature manages to press on. In a landscape devoid of any other humans, the trees and boulders persist. The natural world breathes and lives along with its human inhabitants. Keewatin, the northern wind, “grips the world” with its “fierce fingers.” The land “had eyes,” and Gods Lake shelters Saul’s family as its own. This moment is among many others across the novel that recognize nature in its human-like powers.
Related Themes:
