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Definition of Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations intended to emphasize a point... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements... read full definition
Key Examples in Wide Sargasso Sea
Part 2
Explanation and Analysis—Too Much Color:
When Antoinette and the husband get married, he's only spent a month in Jamaica—three weeks of which he was bedridden with a fever. On the way up to Granbois, as he acquaints himself with the landscape around him, he feels overwhelmed by the vivid colors, lush vegetation, and height of the mountains. He repeatedly draws on hyperbole in descriptions of his surroundings, which underlines his alienation and aversion.
As the road climbs, he thinks to himself that the place is "not only wild but menacing." Even if they are out in the open, he feels claustrophobic: "Those hills would close in on you."
Everything is too much blue, I felt as I rode wearily after her. Too much blue, too much purple, too much green. The flowers too red, the mountains too high, the hills too near. And the woman is a stranger.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Dislike and Hatred:
As they leave Granbois at the end of the second part, the husband lists out everything he dislikes—and even hates—about the setting of his honeymoon. This hyperbole mirrors his exaggerated description of the scenery during his arrival, once again illustrating his alienation and emptiness. Embittered by the place's abiding unfamiliarity, he finds everything about it excessive and disturbing.
As Antoinette shares an earnest and tender farewell with Granbois and Baptiste, the husband lists out everything he dislikes about the people he's leaving behind.
Unlock with LitCharts A+I was tired of these people. I disliked their laughter and their tears, their flattery and envy, conceit and deceit. And I hated the place.
Related Themes:
