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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
Part II
Explanation and Analysis—The Pine Tree:
As Sylvia climbs the old pine tree in the early morning in order to scout the white heron’s location, the narrator describes the tree using personification:
The old pine must have loved his new dependent. More than all the hawks, and bats, and moths, and even the sweet-voiced thrushes, was the brave, beating heart of the solitary gray-eyed child. And the tree stood still and frowned away the winds that June morning while the dawn grew bright in the east.
There are a couple different examples of personification in this passage. First, the narrator describes how the tree “must have loved his new dependent.” Here the tree becomes a man capable of love who suddenly has a “dependent” to care for (a term usually reserved for the relationship between a parent and child). The tree also uses free will in order to “frown away the winds,” meaning that it (or he) intentionally tries to shield Sylvia from wind so that her climb up to the top of the tree will be easier.
These descriptions capture the romantic and majestic quality of nature of which Jewett is hoping to remind her readers. This type of figurative language helps readers to see nature as alive and sentient and worthy of protecting, like the tree protects Sylvia. In other words, Jewett is arguing, nature and humans are in a symbiotic relationship, and it is better to conserve and protect nature than destroy and control it.
Related Themes:
