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Paradox
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 3
Explanation and Analysis—Death of Names:
While visiting the cemetery on a school field trip, Gogol discovers several old Puritan names on tombstones. These names are no longer common in American society; they, along with their owners, have passed away. Gogol personifies these names in the following passage from Chapter 3, comparing their falling out of use to human death:
Until now it has not occurred to Gogol that names die over time, that they perish just as people do.
This instance of personification is not simply aesthetic or decorative—quite the contrary. Lahiri's writing choices in this passage reveal a great deal about Gogol as a character, particularly his personal understanding of identity. Many people, though they feel an affinity with their name, do not attach the entirety of their identity to naming. It is perhaps easy to separate the name from the person when nothing about the name appears incongruous: a White American woman named Sally, for instance, may have no reason to disidentify with her name. Consequently, her name does not become the focal point of her identity. For Gogol, a man who disidentifies with his name, naming and identity are inextricably linked. His name is not simply a name—it represents who he is as a person.
Related Themes:
