Previous
Oxymorons
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
1919
Explanation and Analysis—Heads of Trees:
In this passage from 1919, Morrison uses personification to describe the trees Shadrack notices upon exiting the hospital:
Shadrack stood at the foot of the hospital steps watching the heads of trees toss ruefully and harmlessly, since their trunks were rooted too deeply in the earth to threaten him. Only the walks made him uneasy.
By incorporating a fantastical image into Shadrack’s new reality, this personification represents how Shadrack’s reality has shifted as he reenters society after the war. He watches the trees toss their heads "ruefully," as if he imputes human motivations and emotions to them, and considers if they might be a potential “threat” to him. With his experience as a soldier, this immediate thought of potential danger makes sense.
While Shadrack realizes quickly that the trees are harmless, he also acknowledges that “walks [make] him uneasy.” In contrast to the trees who are “rooted […] deeply in the earth,” Shadrack finds the constant motion and potential instability of walking discomforting. His preference for the trees—for the stability of nature—signals his withdrawal from society in Bottom. Morrison’s use of personification here, likening the trees to human companions, provides crucial context for Shadrack’s character, especially his deepening detachment from normal human society.
Related Themes:
1922
Explanation and Analysis—Let Your Hair Down:
In the following passage from 1922, Morrison personifies different summer plants to contrast with the young boys of Bottom:
Heavy sunflowers weeping over fences; iris curling and browning at the edges far away from their purple hearts; ears of corn letting their auburn hair wind down to their stalks. And the boys. The beautiful, beautiful boys who dotted the landscape like jewels, split the air with their shouts in the field, and thickened the river with their shining wet backs.
In her personification, Morrison plays with double meanings of words—an iris’s “heart” could simply refer to its purple center and ears of corn do have hair. However, the first image of “heavy sunflowers weeping” makes clear that Morrison is being deliberate about personifying these plants.
After illustrating each plant example, Morrison shifts her focus on the “beautiful, beautiful boys” of Bottom. Through the use of personification and the proximity of descriptions, Morrison attempts to make the boys and their beauty a natural phenomenon. She uses simile to compare the boys to “jewels,” which are, again, an aspect of the natural world. The plant images prop up the description of the boys, and by adding human features to these plants, the boys, too, become a part of nature.
These descriptions are utilized through the context of Nel and Sula’s perspectives. As they approach womanhood, the two girls become increasingly interested in men and their own sexualities. This series of images, then, serves to demonstrate just how seductive and all-encompassing the girls’ interest in boys becomes.
Related Themes:
