Six Characters in Search of an Author

by Luigi Pirandello

Six Characters in Search of an Author: Personification 1 key example

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
Act 1
Explanation and Analysis—Reason & Instinct:

In Act 1, the Manager personifies reason as a man (who is "empty") and instinct as a wife (who has "fullness" but is also "blind") in order to explain the relationship between two characters:

(THE ACTORS grin. The Manager goes to Leading Man and shouts:) Yes sir, you put on the cook’s cap and beat eggs. Do you suppose that with all this egg-beating business you are on an ordinary stage? Get that out of your head. You represent the shell of the eggs you are beating! (Laughter and comments among the actors.) Silence! and listen to my explanations, please! (To Leading Man:) “The empty form of reason without the fullness of instinct, which is blind."—You stand for reason, your wife is instinct. It’s a mixing up of the parts, according to which you who act your own part become the puppet of yourself.