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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 4
Explanation and Analysis—Weight of the Sky:
In Chapter 4, readers receive further description of the Isle de Chevaliers and its landscape, which Morrison characterizes as languid and sleepy, due mostly to the immense heat and humidity. To heighten her descriptions of the Isle's soporific qualities, Morrison uses a hyperbole:
People in town go inside because the sky weighs too much at noon. They wait for hot food with lots of pepper so the day will feel cooler by comparison. They drink sweet drinks and swallow bitter coffee to distract their insides from the heat and weight of the sky.
The phrase “the sky weighs too much” is a hyperbole. It is a statement intentionally exaggerated for effect; after all, the sky does not weigh down upon Isle inhabitants in a literal sense. However, the constant humidity in the atmosphere makes the air feel heavy, and Morrison evokes this feeling through her figurative language.
The weight of the humidity upon people on the Isle de Chevaliers appears to affect their mental states as much as their physical states. The heat demands that they move slowly and "distract their insides" with bitter coffee and hot food—an ironic choice that may, as Morrison writes, make "the day feel cooler by comparison." Morrison's hyperbole informs readers about the larger climate on the island and how its inhabitants must adapt to such climates. Her language provides the depictions of setting with an emotional and nearly tangible quality.
