Station Eleven
by Emily St. John Mandel

Station Eleven: 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

Key Examples in Station Eleven

Chapter 12
Explanation and Analysis—Avenging Angel:

To the Prophet, mass death from pandemics is always proof of mankind’s moral failure. As he explains this, he uses personification and a simile to frame the Georgia Flu as an unstoppable force sent from god to punish the wicked:

The flus came every season, but these were weak, inefficient viruses that struck down only the very old, the very young, and the very sick. And then came a virus like an avenging angel, unsurvivable, a microbe that reduced the population of the fallen world [...].