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Hyperbole
Definition of Imagery
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines... read full definition
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Peach-Peeling Reverie:
In Chapter 4, Minny thoroughly enjoys a freshly-picked peach in Celia's kitchen while cooking down some butter for the fried okra she is making for dinner. The smells and sensations of the kitchen are so overwhelmingly pleasant that Minny does not even notice Johnny arriving home. She escapes into the guest bathroom, which is much less enjoyable than the kitchen:
But what with the juice running down my hand and me nearabout drunk on the butter smell, I am lost in a peach-peeling reverie. I don’t even notice the blue truck pull in. [...] I snap into decision—the guest bathroom! I slip in and keep the door cracked. I crouch up on the toilet seat so he can’t see my feet under the door. It’s dark in here and hot. I feel like my head’s on fire. Sweat drips off my chin and splats on the floor. I feel sick by the thick smell of gardenia soaps by the sink.
Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Like Cool Water:
Minny and Aibileen attend mass together in Chapter 10. Sitting next to each other during the service, Aibileen tries to convince Minny to participate in Skeeter's book. Though Minny does not want to involve herself with the project, she understands Skeeter and Aibileen's quest for the truth. She describes "truth" using a simile that introduces tactile imagery:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I can’t believe Aibileen wants to tell Miss Skeeter the truth.
Truth.
It feels cool, like water washing over my sticky-hot body. Cooling a heat that’s been burning me up all my life.
Truth, I say inside my head again, just for that feeling.
Related Themes:
Chapter 21
Explanation and Analysis—Frozen Inside:
After Stuart breaks up with Skeeter at a dinner at his family's mansion, Skeeter feels hurt and confused. In Chapter 21, she describes these feelings using tactile imagery tied to the family's new air conditioner:
Unlock with LitCharts A+[My parents] do not know Stuart broke up with me after the Whitworth supper. Or the relief I long for from this machine. That every minute I feel so hot, so goddamn singed and hurt, I think I might catch on fire. [...]
On tiptoe, I turn out all the lamps, the television, every electricity sucker downstairs save the refrigerator. I stand in front of the window and unbutton my blouse. Carefully, I turn the dial to “3”. Because I long to feel nothing. I want to be frozen inside. I want the icy cold to blow directly on my heart. The power blows out in about three seconds.
Chapter 34
Explanation and Analysis—Bleeding Heart:
Near the end of the book, late in Chapter 34, Elizabeth fires Aibileen, supposedly for stealing silver. Mae Mobley, who is sick with fever, does not understand why Aibileen, her only mother figure, has to leave. Aibileen describes her tearful goodbye with Mae Mobley using hyperbolic figurative language:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“Why? Why don’t you want to see me anymore? Are you going to take care of another little girl?” [...] Law, I feel like my heart’s gone bleed to death.
I take her face in my hands, feeling the scary heat coming off her cheeks. “No, baby, that’s not the reason. I don’t want a leave you, but…” How do I put this? I can’t tell her I’m fired, I don’t want her to blame her mama and make it worse between em. “It’s time for me to retire. You my last little girl [...]."
Related Themes:
