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Definition of Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations intended to emphasize a point... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements... read full definition
Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Possess:
In Chapter 6, Maxine Ratliff invites Gogol over to her parents' house, a stunning building featuring architecture reminiscent of the Greek Revival. While pondering the Ratliffs' home and estate, Gogol naturally dwells on how comfortable and secure the family appears. Lahiri utilizes hyperbole in the following passage, narrating events through Gogol's eyes:
The family seems to possess every piece of the landscape, not only the house itself but every tree and blade of grass. Nothing is locked, not the main house, or the cabin that he and Maxine sleep in. Anyone could walk in. He thinks of the alarm system that now is installed in his parents’ house, wonders why they cannot relax about their physical surroundings in the same way. The Ratliffs own the moon that floats over the lake, and the sun and the clouds.
The Ratliffs, an American family with no recent immigration history, feel self-assured in their entitlement to land, possession, property, and ownership. The narrator uses hyperbole to describe how this entitlement appears to Gogol. He envisions that the family possesses not only their house but "every tree and blade of grass" in the vicinity, along with "the moon [...] and the sun and the clouds." Evidently, one cannot possess the moon or the clouds—but such is the confidence and entitlement of this wealthy, White, American family.
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