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Irony
Definition of Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor can be stated explicitly, as... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other... read full definition
Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—Quilt-Making God:
Chapter 8 introduces metaphysical concerns with a metaphor during Maneck’s conversation with his landlord. While watching Dina stitch together her quilt, he speaks to her about his faith—and, potentially, the lack thereof—in God:
“God is dead,” said Maneck. “That’s what a German philosopher wrote.”
She was shocked. “Trust the Germans to say such things,” she frowned. “And do you believe it?”
“I used to. But now I prefer to think that God is a giant quiltmaker. With an infinite variety of designs. And the quilt is grown so big and confusing, the pattern is impossible to see, the squares and diamonds and triangles don’t fit well together anymore, it’s all become meaningless. So He has abandoned it.”
Related Themes:
Chapter 15
Explanation and Analysis—Time:
Ashraf Chacha pinpoints a paradox during his reunion with Ishvar and Omprakash in Chapter 15. Catching up with the two tailors when they return home for Omprakash’s wedding, the former mentor meditates on the strangeness of time:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“What an unreliable thing is time—when I want it to fly, the hours stick to me like glue. And what a changeable thing, too. Time is the twine to tie our lives into parcels of years and months. Or a rubber band stretched to suit our fancy. Time can be the pretty ribbon in a little girl’s hair. Or the lines in your face, stealing your youthful colour and your hair.” He sighed and smiled sadly. “But in the end, time is a noose around the neck, strangling slowly.”
