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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
Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—The Formless Fears:
In Scene 2, Jones is confronted in the woods by the Little Formless Fears, creatures with no shape that serve as personified manifestations of his internal terror:
[They are black, shapeless, only their glittering little eyes can be seen. If they have any describable form at all it is that of a grubworm about the size of a creeping child. They move noiselessly, but with deliberate, painful effort, striving to raise themselves on end, failing and sinking prone again]
The stage directions for the formless fears in the quote above conjure quite the unusual image: on both a literal and metaphorical level, Jones has many fears, and yet these fears are also a homogenous mass, indistinct from one another. This instance of personification demonstrates Jones’s struggle to confront the truth of his past and the roots of his trauma head-on. Instead of facing his fears directly, he must do so through these encounters with imaginary creatures. The Little Formless Fears are a strange amalgam of otherworldly and human characteristics: they are insect-like voids that somehow resemble children in size; they move with “painful effort”; they laugh mockingly; and they squirm and scurry. Although Jones claims to have godly powers, because these creatures are representations of his own fears, it is clear that these infantile, animal, lowly characteristics reflect Jones’s own view of himself. By personifying Jones’s fears through the stage presence of the creatures, O’Neill provides the audience with a direct view of the inner workings of the character’s mind.
Related Themes:
