|
Have questions?
Contact us
Already a member? Sign in
|
Get every literary device explanation for There TherePlus so much more...
Sign up for LitCharts A+Get instant access to every literary device explanation, plus so much more...
Metaphor
Explanation and Analysis—Bored a Hole:
In a chapter on Opal in Part III, the narrator describes Opal's obsessions and superstitions, as well as her long history of regrets. After the previous chapter, which shows her as a young woman with a variety of unusual behaviors, this chapter shows her as an older woman with many memories and experiences. The narrator describes these in a metaphor:
So she bore those years, their weight, and the years bored a hole through the middle of her, where she tried to keep believing there was some reason to keep her love intact. Opal is stone solid, but there is troubled water that lives in her, that sometimes threatens to flood, to drown her—rise up to her eyes. Sometimes she can’t move. Sometimes it feels impossible to do anything.
Opal carried all her years like a weighty object, which has now "bored a hole through the middle of her." Then the narrator continues to describe this hole. There are two important parts of this metaphor. First, the narrator considers the weightiness of Opal's regret, that she is "stone solid." But this contrasts with the other metaphor, that there is "troubled water" inside Opal as well. In sum, these varied metaphors show the complexity of Opal's emotions. These highly image-driven metaphors are also quite typical of the clipped writing style the author uses to describe deep and complex emotions.
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 2245 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 50,066 quotes we cover.
For all 50,066 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.
