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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
Hyperbole
Explanation and Analysis—Mel and Marjorie:
When describing his history with his ex-wife Marjorie, Mel uses a pair of hyperboles, as seen in the following passage:
“There was a time when I thought I loved my first wife more than life itself. But now I hate her guts. I do. How do you explain that? What happened to that love? What happened to it, is what I'd like to know. I wish someone could tell me.”
The hyperboles here—in which Mel describes how he once loved Marjorie “more than life itself” and now “hate[s] her guts”—feature exaggerated language meant to communicate the opposing intensities of Mel’s feelings for his ex-wife. Mel wants Laura and Nick to understand that they, too, could have his fate; they may love each other now, but soon they may find themselves hating each other, with no clear explanation as to why.
Mel’s longing to understand “what happened” to his love for Marjorie is extreme—in his final four sentences he expresses his frustration with not knowing in four different ways. By leaving this question of "what happened" unresolved, Carver suggests that there is no way to know why love comes and goes. Ultimately, it is Mel’s obsession with rationally understanding (and verbally expressing) the mechanics of love that keep him from actually being able to feel and experience the love he so desperately craves.
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