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Motifs
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 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—The Moaning Wind:
In the scene in which Tom and Huck are in the graveyard (just before they witness Injun Joe kill Dr. Robinson), Twain uses personification to heighten their frightening environment:
A faint wind moaned through the trees, and Tom feared it might be the spirits of the dead, complaining of being disturbed. The boys talked little, and only under their breath, for the time and the place and the pervading solemnity and silence oppressed their spirits.
Related Themes:
Chapter 35
Explanation and Analysis—Huck’s Dislike of Wealth:
Near the end of the novel, Twain uses personification to communicate Huck’s distaste for wealth and being forced into respectable society:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Huck Finn’s wealth and the fact that he was now under the Widow Douglas’s protection introduced him into society—no, dragged him into it, hurled him into it—and his sufferings were almost more than he could bear. The widow’s servants kept him clean and neat, combed and brushed, and they bedded him nightly in unsympathetic sheets that had not one little spot or stain which he could press to his heart and know for a friend.
Related Themes:
