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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 51
Explanation and Analysis—Thought:
Daniel does not take his origins for granted, lacking any information about them. He is so intensely preoccupied with his birth family that, when he meets Leonora in Chapter 51, he utilizes hyperbole to inform her that he has "thought of [her] more than of any other being in the world":
She paused a moment while the lines were coming back into her face, and then said in a colder tone, “I am your mother. But you can have no love for me.”
“I have thought of you more than of any other being in the world,” said Deronda, his voice trembling nervously.
This assertion from Deronda is clear overstatement. At the very least, he has thought of himself more. People are naturally self-centered, used to meditating on their own perspective on a regular basis. This is simply the nature of the human mind. What Deronda's statement gets at is the enmeshment of his own personal identity with that of Leonora. Every time he thinks of himself, he cannot help but also think of her. Lacking knowledge of her, Daniel feels that he lacks a critical understanding of himself.
Related Themes:
Chapter 69
Explanation and Analysis—Monster:
In the following example of hyperbole from Chapter 69, Hans makes a clear overstatement in referring to Daniel as a monster:
“Is it absolutely necessary that Mrs. Grandcourt should marry again?” said Deronda, ready to add that Hans’s success in constructing her fortunes hitherto had not been enough to warrant a new attempt.
“You monster!” retorted Hans, “do you want her to wear weeds for you all her life—burn herself in perpetual suttee while you are alive and merry?”
In referring to Daniel as a monster, Hans clearly misinterprets Daniel's reason for protesting Gwendolen's remarriage. Daniel is in love with Mirah; he simply cares that Gwendolen not be miserable in marriage, as women often are.
Hans assumes that Daniel wishes to control women, projecting his own feelings onto the novel's protagonist. In a world where men, by default, often assume women are property and theirs to control, Daniel is an outlier. He is a man with few pretensions and even fewer ulterior motives. He simply cares for others, regardless of gender. It is this care that leads him toward a vested interest in Gwendolen's future. He does not desire her for himself; he simply desires that she live a full and happy life, with the capacity to grow and change as a person.
Related Themes:
Chapter 70
Explanation and Analysis—The Marriage:
In the following example of hyperbole from Chapter 70, the narrator describes Daniel and Mirah's wedding day—a cause for widespread celebration within the Jewish community:
And the velvet canopy never covered a more goodly bride and bridegroom, to whom their people might more wisely wish offspring; more truthful lips never touched the sacrament marriage-wine; the marriage blessing never gathered stronger promise of fulfillment than in the integrity of their mutual pledge.
The narrator uses hyperbole in their description of the ceremony to emphasize the love that Mirah and Daniel feel for each other. According to the narrator, Daniel and Mirah are the most pious, moral, and in-love couple to ever be married in the Jewish tradition.
This account is doubtful—certainly, Daniel and Mirah are pious, moral, and devoted to each other, but they can hardly lay sole claim to these labels. The use of hyperbole in this passage is a device intended to call attention to the extremes of emotion felt by all on Daniel and Mirah's wedding day. Overstatement is not intended as fact, nor as a diminishment of others' love.
This passage rewards both Daniel and Mirah for their steadfastness and morality throughout the narrative, giving them nearly sole claim to the extremes of love and devotion heard only in myth.
Related Themes:
