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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
Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Aibileen as a Reader:
In Chapter 6, Skeeter and Aibileen discuss one of the Miss Myrna columns before their conversation goes on a tangent. Aibileen tells Skeeter about how her son Treelore wanted to start his own writing project about working for White bosses. Treelore was inspired by the novel Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison:
“[Treelore] read this book call Invisible Man. When he done, he say he gone write down what it was like to be colored working for a white man in Mississippi.”
I look away, knowing this is where my mother would stop the conversation. This is where she’d smile and change the subject to the price of silver polish or white rice.
“I read Invisible Man, too, after he did,” Aibileen says. “I liked it alright.”
I nod, even though I’ve never read it. I hadn’t thought of Aibileen as a reader before.
Related Themes:
Chapter 11
Explanation and Analysis—O'Toole and Dietrich:
When Skeeter goes to Aibileen's house in Chapter 11 for the first interview for the book, she tries her best to keep a low profile. She dresses in all black with a scarf over her head that makes her feel silly. She compares her look to a then-famous movie character, making an allusion to Lawrence of Arabia:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I have on my darkest dress, dark stockings. The black scarf over my hair probably makes me look more like Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia than Marlene Dietrich. The ugly red satchel hangs from my shoulder.
Related Themes:
Chapter 27
Explanation and Analysis—Boo and Skeeter:
In Chapter 27, Skeeter attends a League meeting in which no one votes for her to remain editor of the newspaper. On her way home, she feels totally dejected and wants to leave Jackson. She describes her own emotions by making an allusion to the novel To Kill a Mockingbird:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“I wish I could just leave here,” I say and my voice sounds eerie, with no one to hear it. In the dark, I get a glimpse of myself from way above, like in a movie. I’ve become one of those people who prowl around at night in their cars. God, I am the town’s Boo Radley, just like in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Related Themes:
