Previous
Genre
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
Idioms
Explanation and Analysis—Everyone in the Village:
The story's expositional passages contain a large amount of colloquial language that develops the collective voice of the village. Although the story is narrated by an omniscient third-person narrator, the narration here is focalized from the perspective of the village and eventually of Helen. Contributing to Helen's characterization, the idioms and similes establish her outward persona and give insight into the community she belongs to. The chatter-like tone of the opening passages contrasts sharply with the formal, somber epigraph.
Mercifully, George's father and mother were both dead, and though Helen, thirty-five and independent, might well have washed her hands of the whole disgraceful affair, she most nobly took charge.
Related Themes:
