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Motifs
Definition of Personification
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the... read full definition
Key Examples in Wide Sargasso Sea
Part 2
Explanation and Analysis—Secrets:
Throughout Wide Sargasso Sea, Rhys seems to warn the reader against expecting a single, coherent, and easily accessible narrative. Alongside the hazy and conflicting accounts, details, and impressions that narrators and characters provide of past and present, the motif of secrets contributes to the feeling that truth is unattainable.
In the second part, the husband is consumed by the impression that everyone around him is privy to information that will forever remain beyond his reach. As a matter of fact, the husband feels as though the place itself is keeping a secret from him. Rhys uses personification to capture his feeling of being haunted and excluded by the beauty of Granbois.
It was a beautiful place—wild, untouched, above all untouched, with an alien, disturbing, secret loveliness. And it kept its secret.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Menacing Trees:
As the second part wraps up, the husband encounters and communicates with his surroundings as though they were human. The alienation he has felt over the course of the honeymoon culminates in these final scenes, as he feels threatened by inanimate objects, trees, and topographical features. He describes this through personification and simile.
After Antoinette lashes out at him, the husband feels shunned and terrorized by all of the objects and nature around him:
Unlock with LitCharts A+[...] but it seemed to me that everything round me was hostile. The telescope drew away and said don't touch me. The trees were threatening and the shadows of the trees moving slowly over the floor menaced me. The green menace. I had felt it ever since I saw this place.
Related Themes:
