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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Part II: Chapter 21
Explanation and Analysis—Hemingway:
A Thousand Splendid Suns contains several allusions to Ernest Hemingway's famous modernist novel The Old Man and the Sea. The first reference to this novel appears in Chapter 21, during the scene where Laila, Tariq, and Babi visit the Bamiyan Buddhas:
Babi sat at the foot of a thick-trunked acacia tree reading a paperback. Laila knew the book; he'd read it to her once. It told the story of an old fisherman named Santiago who catches an enormous fish. But by the time he sails his boat to safety, there is nothing left of his prize fish; the sharks have torn it to pieces.
Related Themes:
Part II: Chapter 24
Explanation and Analysis—Hemingway:
A Thousand Splendid Suns contains several allusions to Ernest Hemingway's famous modernist novel The Old Man and the Sea. The first reference to this novel appears in Chapter 21, during the scene where Laila, Tariq, and Babi visit the Bamiyan Buddhas:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Babi sat at the foot of a thick-trunked acacia tree reading a paperback. Laila knew the book; he'd read it to her once. It told the story of an old fisherman named Santiago who catches an enormous fish. But by the time he sails his boat to safety, there is nothing left of his prize fish; the sharks have torn it to pieces.
Related Themes:
