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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 2
Explanation and Analysis—On the Ropes:
As he campaigns for governor in 1926, during Chapter 2, Willie gives a speech in Upton, a fictional town "in the western part of the state." The night before the speech, Willie drank a whole bottle of whiskey, his first time drinking in his life, and passed out on Jack's bed. Needless to say, Willie is now quite hungover, and Jack has attempted to cure him by giving him yet more to drink. Jack and Sadie watch with trepidation as Willie, "sweating and swaying and speechless, in the hot sun," attempts to begin his speech:
"He's on the ropes," Sadie said.
"Hell, he's been on 'em all morning," I said, "and lucky to have 'em."
She was still looking at him. It was much the same way she had looked at him the night before when he lay on the bed in my room, out cold, and she stood by the side of the bed. It wasn't pity and it wasn't contempt. It was an ambiguous, speculative look. Then she said, "Maybe he was born on 'em."
Sadie, hopelessly in love with Willie but disappointed in him at the moment, describes him using a boxing metaphor so common that it is an idiom: Willie is "on the ropes." She means that Willie seems nearly defeated, like a boxer pushed to the edge of the ring. Then, Sadie's "ambiguous, speculative look" at Willie comes to clarity: "Maybe he was born on 'em." Sadie realizes that Willie understands a fact that no one else, even his closest confidants, does: Willie has always been "on the ropes," always on the edge of failure. This is why Willie feels that he must always go all-in, expend all energy, and do anything possible to succeed. In Willie's mind, he is always on the ropes, so he always needs to fight back as hard as possible.
After this, in typical Willie fashion when on the ropes, he surprises: Willie manages, despite his inebriation, to give a rousing and convincing speech, off the cuff, which will launch his political career and help to make him famous in the state, leading to his future election as governor. Sadie's use of the metaphor of "on the ropes" thus reveals a deep part of Willie's character, demonstrated immediately afterward.
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