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Definition of Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations intended to emphasize a point... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements... read full definition
Chapter 12
Explanation and Analysis—Hyperbolic Descriptions:
Sometimes George Eliot's descriptions move away from strict realism and range into the melodramatic and hyperbolic. This happens mostly when climactic events are afoot, as in Chapter 12 when Molly, with her toddler in hand, attempts vainly to fight through the snow:
And she walked on again under the breaking cloud, from which there came now and then the light of a quickly-veiled star, for a freezing wind had sprung up since the snowing had ceased.
But she walked always more and more drowsily, and clutched more and more automatically the sleeping child at her bosom. Slowly the demon was working his will, and cold and weariness were his helpers.
Molly's dramatic aim here (publicly exposing Godfrey as Eppie's father and her husband at a party) is thwarted by an even more dramatic death. The enormous entities invoked—the "quickly-veiled star," the "freezing wind," and the repetition of "more and more" of everything—lead up to Eliot's assertion that Molly's situation is so pitiful that it must be a punishment from God. What's more, the narrator recounts that Molly's hypothermia and death are caused by the "demon" (the Devil) himself, with the winter wind and snow as his "helpers." The Devil's direct intervention here might be in accordance with the book's Christian outlook, but it seems quite intense even in that context.
Molly's situation is also partially caused by her opium addiction, which causes her to be miserably discontented and to act rashly. Both of these things are serious flaws of character in an Eliot novel that champions the Christian ideals of forbearance and consideration for others. Molly's unhappiness and her addiction cause her to hyperbolize her own situation, leading her to try and teach Godfrey a lesson in this ill-conceived scheme. Like many characters in Silas Marner who act cruelly or inconsiderately, she is quickly and damningly punished for this choice.
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