|
Have questions?
Contact us
Already a member? Sign in
|
Get every literary device explanation for The Secret HistoryPlus so much more...
Sign up for LitCharts A+Get instant access to every literary device explanation, plus so much more...
Metaphor
Explanation and Analysis—The Dollhouse:
Following Bunny's murder, Richard and the other Greek students often feel dissociated from real life, using drugs, sex, and alcohol to keep themselves from spiraling out of control. To highlight his dissociation, Richard uses a metaphor to describe the Hampden campus:
It was a strange, bright, dreamlike day. The snowy lawn—peppered with the toylike figures of distant people—was as smooth as sugar frosting on a birthday cake; a tiny dog ran, barking, after a ball; real smoke threaded from the dollhouse chimneys.
In this passage, Richard compares Hampden College to a dollhouse or the figurine top of a wedding cake. These comparisons merely mimic real life but are still tangible and, most importantly, controllable. At this point in the novel, the Greek students are desperate to maintain control of the situation, whether that means acting normally in the immediate aftermath or pretending to be clueless during police investigations. Thinking about Hampden as toylike figures specifically helps Richard cope and feel like he has everything under control.
Stepping away from the lawless world and looking at it from above helps curb Richard's guilt and anxiety surrounding the murder. Moreover, the "smooth as sugar frosting" lawn evokes rare peacefulness and beauty at this point in the novel, making this moment the calm before the storm of federal interrogations.
Monthly
Annual (Best Value)
$595USD/mo
Charged $71.40 USD every year
Teacher$795USD/mo
Charged $95.40 USD every year
Literature Guide PDFs
LitCharts PDFs for every book you'll read this year.
Instant PDF downloads of all 2251 LitCharts literature guides and of every new one we publish. Try a free sample literature guide.
"Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!"
Quotes Explanations
Find the perfect quote. Understand it perfectly. Then rock the citation, too.
For all 50,202 quotes we cover.
For all 50,202 quotes we cover.
Teacher Editions
Close reading made easy for students.
Time saved for teachers.
For every book we cover.
Time saved for teachers.
For every book we cover.
Common Core-aligned
PDFs of modern translations of every one of Shakespeare's 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 3 longer poems.
Literary Terms and Devices
Definitions and examples for every literary term and device you need to know.
Plus a quick-reference PDF with concise definitions of all 136 terms in one place.
Plus a quick-reference PDF with concise definitions of all 136 terms in one place.
Try a free sample literary term PDF.
Advanced Search
Refine any search. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more.
Related Themes
Comparing and contrasting texts? Find where any theme occurs across all of LitCharts in seconds.
Poetry Guides
Line-by-line explanations and analysis of figurative language and poetic devices.
For every lyric poem we cover.
For every lyric poem we cover.
