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Definition of Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations intended to emphasize a point... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements... read full definition
Key Examples in Snow Falling on Cedars
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Dark-Eyed Gaze:
This reflection appears during the opening stages of Kabuo’s trial, as Ishmael sits in the courtroom and briefly meets Hatsue’s eyes. The author uses hyperbole to show the overwhelming emotional effect of a single glance between Ishmael and Hatsue:
She’d turned her eyes on his then. Ishmael would find later, long after the trial, that their darkness would beleaguer his memory of these days. He would remember how rigorously her hair had been woven into a black knot against the nape of her neck. She had not been exactly cold to him, not exactly hateful, but he’d felt her distance anyway.
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Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Child's Balloon:
This moment appears in a flashback to Ishmael’s childhood as he observes his father at work in the pressroom. Guterson uses hyperbole, visual imagery, tactile imagery, and simile in this scene to show Arthur’s darkly casual attitude to the dangers of his profession:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Arthur, who had formed over the years a symbiotic relationship with the machine, ducked in and out inspecting the plates and printing cylinders. He stood mere inches from the clattering rollers, seemingly oblivious to the fact that, as he’d explained to his son, were he caught by a sleeve he’d be instantly popped open like a child’s balloon and splattered across the walls. Even his bones would disappear, this was part of Arthur’s warning, until somebody found them scattered among the stained newsprint on the floor, looking like strips of white confetti.
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Explanation and Analysis—Everything Was Folly:
This passage describes Arthur’s internal state after returning from war, as he tries to live among people who seem untouched by what he has experienced. Guterson uses hyperbole to show how Arthur’s trauma makes everyday life feel absurd and meaningless:
Unlock with LitCharts A+It was not even a thing you could explain to anybody, why it was that everything was folly. People appeared enormously foolish to him. He understood that they were only animated cavities full of jelly and strings and liquids.
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Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—Spirit of the Place:
During a flashback to Ishmael and Hatsue’s teenage relationship, Guterson uses flashback, hyperbole, and metaphor to show how Ishmael’s love for Hatsue makes her seem, to him, like part of San Piedro's natural world:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Ishmael’s heart began the fretful pounding he’d experienced of late in her presence. There were no words for what he had to say and his tongue felt paralyzed. He couldn’t stand another moment without explaining his heart to her. A knot of pressure was building inside him to declare the love he felt. It was not only that her beauty moved him but that they already had a history together that included this beach, these waters, the very stones, and the forest at their backs, too. It was all theirs and always would be, and Hatsue was the spirit of the place.
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Chapter 14
Explanation and Analysis—The Strongest Thing:
This passage comes from a scene where Ishmael tries to reassure Hatsue that their relationship can survive the obstacles of both the war and their racially prejudiced community. In this moment, Guterson uses hyperbole and repetition to emphasize Ishmael’s belief that love can overcome even the threat of death:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“They don’t really matter,” said Ishmael. “None of those other things make a difference. Love is the strongest thing in the world, you know. Nothing can touch it. Nothing comes close. If we love each other we’re safe from it all. Love is the biggest thing there is.”
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