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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 Snow Falling on Cedars
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Darkness Inside:
Immediately after Horace performs a medical exam on Carl’s corpse, the narrator shifts to focusing on Horace’s inner thoughts. This passage uses metaphor and idiom to reveal how Horace’s experience in the war has shaped his perception of himself and other soldiers like Carl:
And how to explain? What could he say to others? There was no longer any speaking for the hell of it, no opening one’s mouth just to have it open, and if others would read darkness into his silence, well then, darkness was there, wasn’t it? There’d been the darkness of the war in Carl Heine, as there was in Horace himself.
Related Themes:
