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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
Personification
Explanation and Analysis—Like the Earth’s Tears:
Near the end of the story, when the Postmaster is on his way home to Calcutta by boat, the narrator combines a simile and personification to describe the water around the man:
When he was on the boat and it had set sail, when the swollen flood-waters of the river started to heave like the Earth’s brimming tears, the postmaster felt a huge anguish: the image of a simple young village-girl’s grief-stricken face seemed to speak a great inarticulate universal sorrow.
The simile the narrator uses here—“the swollen flood-waters of the river started to heave like the Earth’s brimming tears”—is also an instance of personification. This is because that which the river is being compared to is not literal but figurative—the Earth is not a person so cannot cry. The combination of these literary devices is evocative—readers can picture the “swollen flood-waters start[ing] to heave” while feeling the melancholy that comes with heaving tears in this way.
With this passage, Tagore is intentionally presenting the water as a mirror for the inner emotion of the Postmaster—though part of him knows he has to leave Ratan in Ulapur, another part feels “a huge anguish” knowing that he is leaving her to a life without companionship or food security.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Earth's Breath:
As the Postmaster is settling into his life in rural Ulapur, the narrator describes the climate of the town using imagery and personification:
It was a fine afternoon in the rainy season. The breeze was softly warm; there was a smell of sunshine on wet grass and leaves. Earth’s breath—hot with fatigue—seemed to brush against the skin.
The narrator combines sensory imagery (“the breeze was softly warm; there was a smell of sunshine on wet grass and leaves”) and personification (“Earth’s breath—hot with fatigue—seemed to brush against the skin”) in order to capture the Postmaster’s joy about his rural life in the jungle, as well as his feeling of being suffocated and trapped there. This dual intention comes across in how the narrator’s language is contradictory—first the breeze is “softly warm” and then it is “breath—hot with fatigue.” This mirrors how, near the beginning of the story, the narrator is enjoying his new life in the natural world while also missing his more comfortable life in the city. He is living close to nature and, at times, it feels a little too close.
It is notable that this story takes place during rainy season, as the rain and humidity add to the narrator’s sense of being confined—he is either stuck inside with a leaky roof or else feels “hot breath” on his skin that he cannot escape.
Related Themes:
