Previous
Genre
Definition of Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations intended to emphasize a point... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements... read full definition
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Dying of Hunger:
Throughout the novella, the narrator uses hyperbole, exaggerating the events described to heighten the novella’s humor. His description of Candide’s first night alone after being kicked out of the Baron’s court for attempting to woo his cousin exemplifies this hyperbole:
CANDIDE, DRIVEN FROM terrestrial paradise, walked a long while without knowing where, weeping, raising his eyes to heaven, turning them often towards the most magnificent of castles which imprisoned the purest of noble young ladies. He lay down to sleep without supper, in the middle of a field between two furrows. The snow fell in large flakes. Next day Candide, all benumbed, dragged himself towards the neighbouring town which was called Waldberghofftrarbk-dikdorff, having no money, dying of hunger and fatigue, he stopped sorrowfully at the door of an inn.
Here, the narrator’s hyperbolic language reflects Candide’s own naive and unrealistic outlook. The Baron’s court, a somewhat modest manor, is described as a “terrestrial paradise” such as Eden. After falling asleep in “the middle of a field,” the narrator describes Candide as “dying of hunger and fatigue.” And yet, the narrator also notes that Candide only spent one night on his own, having only missed one single meal. The narrator’s use of hyperbole here reflects Candide’s own perspective as a young man who has been sheltered from the wider world: to him, everything seems fantastic and larger-than-life.
