Previous
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
Key Examples in The Handmaid’s Tale
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—The Bible:
The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian envisioning of America's future as a theocratic, Christian nationalist state. As such, the novel teems with allusions to the Christian Bible.
Two key examples feature in Chapter 5. Whilst Offred and Ofglen shop together, they encounter two stores named for important Bible passages:
The [dress] store has a huge wooden sign outside it, in the shape of a golden lily; Lilies of the Field, it's called.
Our first stop is at a store with another wooden sign: three eggs, a bee, a cow. Milk and Honey.
Related Themes:
