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Paradox
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
Section 1
Explanation and Analysis—Modernity's Invasion:
Faulkner employs personification when describing Miss Emily's house and neighborhood, evoking a sense of sadness and nostalgia:
It was a big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome cycle of the seventies, set on what had once been our most select street. But garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of the neighborhood; only Miss Emily's house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps—an eyesore among eyesores.
The in-depth description of Miss Emily's house recalls a time when the house was considered grandiose and grand. Now, however, it is looked at as an eyesore and a symbol of the past. Much like its inhabitant, the house retains traces of the past through its dated aesthetics. The house is personified when it is described as "lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay," portraying the house as trying to survive in a world that is changing and leaving the past, and therefore the house, behind. The adjectives "stubborn" and "coquettish" imply a sort of vigor and even flirtation, alluding to the past when the Griersons were at the height of their wealth and influence. Personifying the house thus creates a feeling of sadness, one that often comes from nostalgia. Personification is also used when the garages and cotton gins are described as "encroach[ing] and obliterat[ing] [...] the august names of the neighborhood." Garages and cotton gins represent the changing times and modernization. The verbs "encroaching" and "obliterating" suggest modernity's invasive and even destructive aspects.
Related Themes:
