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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Chapters 17–42
Explanation and Analysis—Blanche as a Mænad:
Through an allusion to Greek mythology, the narrator manages to illustrate both the undeniable draw of Strickland and the helplessness of women:
Blanche Stroeve was in the cruel grip of appetite. Perhaps she hated Strickland still, but she hungered for him, and everything that had made up her life till then became of no account. She ceased to be a woman, complex, kind and petulant, considerate and thoughtless; she was a Mænad. She was desire.
The narrator draws an allusion to Mænads, who were followers of Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry in Greek mythology. Mænads are specifically women who engage in lascivious activities, such as ecstasy to the point of insanity. This is quite an intense description of what sexual desire does to a woman—the narrator essentially considers Blanche insane with desire for Strickland. Therefore, this allusion paints women as incapable of controlling their emotions and unfulfilled without men in their lives—one of many examples of the narrator's misogynistic views. Once Blanche "hungered" for Strickland, "everything that had made up her life till then became of no account," meaning that her desire for Strickland then defined her life.
It is also noteworthy that the narrator insults women both ways: with desire, they are insane, whereas without, they are thoughtless and petulant. Women can never win in the narrator's world.
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Chapters 43–58
Explanation and Analysis—Artistic Predecessors:
In a commentary about Strickland as an artist, the narrator expresses surprise about Strickland's perspective on other artists, alluding to famous painters from the past:
Strickland was not, I should say, a man of great intelligence, and his views on painting were by no means out of the ordinary. I never heard him speak of those whose work had a certain analogy with his own—of Cézanne, for instance, or of Van Gogh; and I doubt very much if he had ever seen their pictures. He was not greatly interested in the Impressionists. Their technique impressed him, but I fancy that he thought their attitude commonplace.
Strickland's "ordinary" impressions of renowned painters like Cézanne and Van Gogh is contradictory to his characteristic tendency to rebel against conformity. However, Strickland's perspective on technique and attitude aligns with his beliefs as an artist. From the narrator's writing, it is clear that Strickland values artistic vision more than technique. According to Strickland, great art is the sublimation of human desire and self-expression. The Impressionists, in his opinion, did not possess these qualities.
Alluding to visual artists like Cézanne and Van Gogh, as well as comparing them to Strickland, validates Strickland as an artist and a real person in the artistic canon. Additionally, using the names of real-life 19th-century painters brings authenticity to the novel and supports its biographical nature.
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Explanation and Analysis—The Devil's Scripture:
After Robert Strickland uses scripture to justify his father's death, the narrator paints Robert as the devil. This comparison is both a biblical and literary allusion:
My Uncle Henry, for twenty-seven years Vicar of Whitstable, was on these occasions in the habit of saying that the devil could always quote scripture to his purpose.
The above quote is an allusion both to the nearly identical quote from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice—“the devil can cite scripture for his purpose”—and to the biblical temptation of Christ in the desert where the devil misconstrues scripture. The quote in this novel is spoken by the narrator about Strickland's son Robert, who condemns his father with a quote from the Bible:
The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small.
The narrator compares Robert's quote to the devil's misconstruction, which suggests how thoroughly trapped the narrator is under Strickland's spell. The reader might expect Strickland, negligent father and violent husband that he was, to hold the devilish title. Yet, the narrator unfailingly believes that Strickland was a good man in spite of his wrongs. Even in the face of Strickland's abandoned and spiteful son, the narrator continues to admire Strickland's strength of character through societal rebellion.
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Explanation and Analysis—Biblical Loyalty:
When Strickland is diagnosed with leprosy, his second wife, Ata, promises to always stand by him with an allusion to the Bible:
Thou art my man and I am thy woman. Whither thou goest I will go, too.
This excerpt is nearly a direct quote from the Bible's Book of Ruth 1:16, where this line is exchanged between two women. To her mother-in-law Naomi, Ruth says, "Whither thou goest, I will go." This line comes after the death of Ruth's husband, evoking poignancy and loyalty. However, the novel uses this line between a man and a woman, a husband and a wife. Translating this allusion from two women to a couple reads like a prevision of the quote. Whereas the quote exhibits a mother-daughter bond in its original context, now it may exhibit the subservience of women.
Despite Strickland's harsh and violent treatment of Ata, she remains loyal to him until the end, quarantining herself with Strickland and ostracizing herself from society. Thus, the loyalty in this scene feels misplaced. However, one could view Ata's promise not as the complete subordination of a wife to a husband but instead as a service deemed necessary by religion. Her unwillingness to part from Strickland in his time of need may demonstrate an admirability and bravery for which the scripture advocates.
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