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Definition of Idiom
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the words in the phrase. For... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on... read full definition
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—First Communion:
When Félicité attends Virginie’s first communion at the Catholic church, she finds herself enthralled by the ceremony. In the following passage, the narrator uses an idiom and a simile to capture Félicité’s wonderment:
All through the mass she was on tenterhooks. One half of the choir stalls was hidden from her sight by Monsieur Bourais, but straight in front of her she could see the flock of young girls all wearing white crowns over their lowered veils and looking like a field of snow.
The idiom here—in which Félicité is described as being “on tenterhooks”—communicates how Félicité was in a state of suspense and anticipation throughout the mass. This idiom compares a person’s state of nervous tension to the tension of cloth stretched across a canvas on hooked nails called “tenter hooks.” The simile in this passage communicates how, due to Félicité’s state of enchantment, the veils that Virginia and the girls are wearing look to her “like a field of snow.” This description helps readers understand the quiet spirituality of this moment for Félicité.
This moment is significant to the plot of the story because it is the start of Félicité’s active engagement with Catholicism. While she only has indirect access to these religious teachings and experiences as Virginie’s caretaker, she is still deeply touched by them. In this passage, then, Flaubert communicates how being a faithful person has less to do with access to formal education and more to do with one’s open-heartedness and commitment to their faith.
Related Themes:
