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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
Hyperbole
Explanation and Analysis—Alone with Cigar Smoke:
Near the beginning of the story, when introducing readers to Mead—and his love of walking—the narrator uses a hyperbole and a simile, as seen in the following passage:
He would stand upon the corner of an intersection and peer down long moonlit avenues of sidewalk in four directions, deciding which way to go, but it really made no difference; he was alone in this world of A.D. 2053, or as good as alone, and with a final decision made, a path selected, he would stride off, sending patterns of frosty air before him like the smoke of a cigar.
The hyperbole here—in which the narrator describes how Mead is “alone in this world of A.D. 2053”—is clearly exaggerated, given the fact that he lives in a city of three million people (as stated later in the story). The narrator uses this language in order to help readers understand just how lonely Mead feels, as an unmarried and childless man who has not run into a single person on the street in ten whole years.
The simile here—in which the narrator describes how Mead’s breath looked “like the smoke of a cigar”—helps readers to understand just how cold it is outside. This is important because it communicates to readers that walking—and spending time in nature—is so important to Mead that he’s willing to do so even in freezing temperatures.
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