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Pathos
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
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Weeping Old Store:
Invoking the reader’s sense of pathos and employing personification, Zola emphasizes the stark juxtaposition between Baudu's old shop and the bustling department store. As Denise, Jean and Pépé watch, they notice that:
Now and again a few customers came in: one lady appeared, then two others. The shop retained its musty smell, its half-light, in which the old-fashioned way of business, good-natured and simple, seemed to be weeping at its neglect. But what fascinated Denise was the Ladies’ Paradise on the other side of the street, for she could see the shop-windows through the open door. The sky was still overcast, but the mildness brought by rain was warming the air in spite of the season; and in the clear light, dusted with sunshine, the great shop was coming to life, and business was in full swing .
Baudu’s shop is a pitiful sight. With its "musty smell" and "half-light," it feels abandoned and obsolete. This atmosphere evokes a feeling of nostalgia and sadness in the reader for the fading "old-fashioned way of business." Although the bright façade of The Ladies’ Paradise is appealingly modern and clean, Baudu’s “good-natured and simple” shop seems cruelly neglected. In moments like this, Zola engages the reader's emotions urgently. He makes them feel the plight of Baudu's shop and the people who represent the "old world" struggling to survive in the shadow of department store culture.
Personifying Baudu's shop as a being that can "weep at" its own neglect further heightens the emotional impact this passage has on the reader. It transforms the shop from a mere physical space into a thinking, feeling entity that suffers when it is abandoned. This personification suggests that the shop—much like the smaller shopkeepers it represents—feels the pain of being pushed aside by the new, modern age.
This provocative scene seems even grayer and more dismal through the description of The Ladies' Paradise that immediately follows. The new store’s "clear light, dusted with sunshine" and the description of it "coming to life" are the opposite of Baudu’s dying establishment.
Related Themes:
Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Swallow and Colossus:
As the sounds of construction and destruction fill the air around Bourras’s house, Zola uses a simile and personification to depict the precarious position of the little building in the shadow of the expanding department store:
It was true; the sale was due to have been concluded the day before. It had seemed as if Bourras’s little house, squeezed in between the Ladies’ Paradise and the Hôtel Duvillard, hanging on there like a swallow’s nest in a crack in the wall, would certainly be crushed on the day the shop invaded the Hôtel Duvillard; and this day had come; the colossus was encircling the feeble obstacle, surrounding it with stacks of goods, threatening to swallow it up, to absorb it by the sheer force of its gigantic suction.
Swallows are small birds that build ingenious nests, often under the eaves of houses or underneath bridges. The birds collect mud in their bills and use it to construct a hanging dwelling suspended from the side of whatever supports it. Swallows are not built to walk efficiently, and so they build these nests in secure places that can only be accessed by flight. The simile "like a swallow's nest in a crack in the wall" is a touching way of describing Bourras’s small, vulnerable house, “squeezed in” between larger buildings. This comparison conveys the fragility and precariousness of his position. Much like a swallow, Bourras is dependent on his specific economic environment for survival. This passage highlights his business’s inability to adapt to the changing commercial landscape: the enormous bulk of the department store is about to “crush” his small establishment. "Swallows" like Bourras won't survive the "new" Paris.
Moreover, Zola emphasizes the depiction of The Ladies' Paradise as a destructive, malevolent force through personification. The narrator refers to the store as a "colossus" menacingly "encircling the feeble obstacle" of Bourras’s dwelling and "threatening to swallow it up." A “colossus” is a person or object of enormous size, especially compared to other things in its environment. This personification depicts the department store as a living, conscious entity. It is actively seeking to conquer and absorb everything around it. The use of terms like "gigantic suction" also suggests this: craftsmen like Bourras must conform to the new standards of consumerism, or be dragged into their path and crushed.
Related Themes:
