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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
Part 2, Chapter 1: On the Great Alkali Plain
Explanation and Analysis—Inhospitable Nature:
In Part 2, Chapter 1, Doyle uses personification to characterize the American West as a wild, irrational, and dangerous place. This is in contrast with London, the setting of Part 1 of the novel, which Doyle characterizes as comparatively dull and dreary but also more rational and civilized:
In the central portion of the great North American Continent there lies an arid and repulsive desert, which for many a long year served as a barrier against the advance of civilisation [...] Nor is Nature always in one mood throughout this grim district. It comprises snow-capped and lofty mountains, and dark and gloomy valleys. There are swift-flowing rivers which dash through jagged cañons; and there are enormous plains, which in winter are white with snow, and in summer are grey with the saline alkali dust. They all preserve, however, the common characteristics of barrenness, inhospitality, and misery.
Related Themes:
