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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
Personification
Explanation and Analysis—Dawn on the Mountain:
After Brand kills himself during the night (by throwing himself into the lime kiln), the sun rises. The narrator uses a metaphor, a personification, and a simile in this moment in order to capture the beauty and hope inherent to the dawn of a new day, as seen in the following passage:
The early sunshine was already pouring its gold upon the mountaintops, and though the valleys were still in shadow, they smiled cheerfully in the promise of the bright day that was hastening onward. The village, completely shut in by hills, which swelled away gently about it, looked as if it had rested peacefully in the great hand of Providence.
The first sentence here contains a metaphor and a personification—the sun metaphorically becomes a can of paint “pouring its gold upon the mountaintops” and the valleys, in response, “smile cheerfully in the promise of the bright day” the way that humans might. Here the sun and landscape demonstrate the sort of generosity and joy that Brand had lost all access to in his obsession with sin. It’s notable that the story takes place entirely in the dark and it’s only after Brand dies that the sun rises, as it suggests that Brand was blinded to the beauty of the world around him, and, instead, was only able to see the “dark,” sinful elements of life.
The simile here—in which the narrator describes the local village tucked into hills and looking “as if it had rested peacefully in the great hand of Providence”—adds a religious tone to the passage. Providence, in Judeo-Christian theology, is the concept of God offering protection and care. The simile here juxtaposes the faith the villages have in God with Brand’s lack of faith—rather than trusting a higher power to help him find his way back to himself and his community, he kills himself after his quest for the Unpardonable Sin.
Related Themes:
