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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Part 2: The Desert
Explanation and Analysis—Don Quixote:
One of the Walls family’s cats is named Quixote. This allusion to Don Quixote, the 1605 novel by Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes, is presumably intentional; after all, the Walls family is exceptionally well-read. A pivotal childhood scene describes an altercation between Dad and Quixote:
For comfort, I tried to cradle Quixote, our gray and white cat who was missing an ear, but he growled and scratched at my face. “Quiet, Quixote!” I said.
“Cats don’t like to travel,” Mom explained.
Anyone who didn’t like to travel wasn’t invited on our adventure, Dad said. He stopped the car, grabbed Quixote by the scruff of the neck, and tossed him out the window. Quixote landed with a screeching meow and a thud, Dad accelerated up the road, and I burst into tears.
“Don’t be so sentimental,” Mom said.
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Part 3: Welch
Explanation and Analysis—A Tree Grows in Brooklyn:
When discussing her reading habits, Jeannette alludes to the Nolan family from Betty Smith’s 1943 semi-autobiographical novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I thought Francie Nolan and I were practically identical, except that she had lived fifty years earlier in Brooklyn and her mother always kept the house clean. Francie Nolan’s father sure reminded me of Dad. If Francie saw the good in her father, even though most people considered him a shiftless drunk, maybe I wasn’t a complete fool for believing in mine. Or trying to believe in him. It was getting harder.
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Explanation and Analysis—The Wizard of Oz:
As the Walls children begin to plan their escape from Welch to New York City, they pool their money in a piggy bank, which they bestow with a name that alludes to The Wizard of Oz:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Oz had no plugged hole on the bottom, and the slot on the top was too narrow to work bills out, even if you used a knife, so once you’d put money into Oz, it stayed there. We tested it to make sure. We couldn’t count the money, but because Oz was translucent, we could see our cash accumulating inside when we held him up to the light.
Related Themes:
