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Hyperbole
Definition of Idiom
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the words in the phrase. For... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on... read full definition
Key Examples in A Separate Peace
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Plus Ça Change:
As Gene stares at the tree from which Finny fell, Knowles uses an idiom and personification to illustrate Gene's reflections on time, change, and memory:
The tree was not only stripped by the cold season, it seemed weary from age, enfeebled, dry. I was thankful, very thankful that I had seen it. So the more things remain the same, the more they change after all—plus c’est la même chose, plus ça change.
Related Themes:
Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Bomb:
After the carnival, in Chapter 9, Knowles uses an idiom and a simile to convey the tension and strain between Gene and Finny as their relationship flirts with disaster. Gene observes Finny’s very precarious emotional state:
Unlock with LitCharts A+He gave me a long, pondering look, his face closed and concentrating while behind it his mind plainly teetered between fury and hilarity; I think if I had batted an eye he would have hit me. The carnival’s breaking apart into a riot hung like a bomb between us.
Related Themes:
