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Definition of Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to make a point—particularly to reveal a deeper or hidden truth... read full definition
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to make a point—particularly to reveal... read full definition
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to... read full definition
Chapter 17
Explanation and Analysis—Shared Solitude :
After a stark reversal in their once good fortune, Aureliano Segundo and Petra Cotes discover that they both feel a new, truer form of love for one another. In his description of this new stage in their relationship, the narrator uses an oxymoron, as well as a number of similes:
Both looked back then on the wild revelry, the gaudy wealth, and the unbridled fornication as an annoyance and they lamented that it had cost them so much of their lives to find the paradise of shared solitude. Madly in love after so many years of sterile complicity, they enjoyed the miracle of loving each other as much at the table as in bed, and they grew to be so happy that even when they were two worn-out old people they kept on blooming like little children and playing together like dogs.
Looking back with regret about the time wasted during their days of "wild revelry," the narrator notes that Aureliano Segundo and Petra have now found a "paradise of shared solitude." This phrase is an oxymoron, as "solitude" is, by definition, a solitary experience rather than a "shared" one. However, the oxymoron suggests that Aureliano Segundo and Petra have now become so close to one another that they live as one collective entity. Further, the narrator uses a series of similes that compare them, in their new love, to "little children" and "dogs" that play together, suggesting that there is a new sense of liveliness in their relationship despite their age and maturity.
Related Themes:
