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Hyperbole
Definition of Idiom
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the words in the phrase. For... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on... read full definition
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Morris the American:
In Chapter 5, the reader is introduced to Quincey Morris, a native Texan who regularly uses idioms from his native dialect. Lucy observes this, quoting Quincey in her letter to Mina:
"Miss Lucy, I know I ain't good enough to regulate the fixin's of your little shoes, but I guess if you wait till you find a man that is you will go join them seven young women with the lamps when you quit. Won't you just hitch up alongside of me and let us go down the long road together, driving in double harness?"
These somewhat confusing idioms establish Morris's American foreignness in an otherwise upper- or upper-middle-class British context. This is reinforced by Lucy's response to his manner of speaking, which is to view it as quaint. Stoker further emphasizes Quincey's foreignness by having him misuse certain biblical allusions: regulating "the fixin's of your little shoes" may be a reference to John the Baptist's statement in the Gospels about being unworthy to fix the straps on Jesus's sandals. Going "down the long road together," while clearly a reference to marriage, may be another attempt by Quincey to sound like an intellectual: life is often equated to a road in the Bible and other literature.
Related Themes:
Chapter 18
Explanation and Analysis—Spilt Milk:
In Chapter 18, Seward informs Van Helsing of an important discovery: the house that Dracula purchased in England is right next to his own. Sad that they were unable to discover this fact before poor Lucy died, Van Helsing uses an idiom to both communicate and resolve his unhappiness:
'Oh, that we had known it before!' he said, 'for then we might have reached him in time to save poor Lucy. However, "the milk that is spilt cries not out afterwards," as you say. We shall not think of that, but go on our way till the end.'
Van Helsing here attempts to use the idiom, "it's no use crying over spilled milk" to claim that there's no use regretting Lucy's death when they can no longer do anything about it. However, Van Helsing changes the word order and meaning of the idiom slightly, instead giving the milk agency. This highlights Van Helsing's foreignness, for though he is an intelligent man, he has not quite mastered English as Dracula has. Compared to Van Helsing, Dracula's mastery of the English language is eerie and unearthly. One would expect a foreigner—particularly one who has learned English as a second language—to speak with a few errors and mess up a few idioms. Dracula makes far fewer errors by comparison; as a result, Van Helsing appears more human and less otherworldly.
