In 's
"," there are many uses of , in which inanimate objects are given qualities that only
humans can possess or actions that only humans can take. In the story's opening line, in
describing the background of Madame Loisel, the narrator says she has been born into "a
family of artisans" because "fate had blundered over
her." Fate is an abstract notion that is unable to blunder--or in other
words, make a mistake.
Madame Loisel desires the finest material things in
life, and she becomes emotional about the things that she cannot have. The narrator describes
her eyes as "furious" and says that
"her heart began to beat covetously" though these body
parts cannot literally experience these very human emotions.
And lastly, when
Madame Loisel is thinking about the the worn out home furnishings that surround her, the
narrator observes, " All these things, of which other women of her class
would not even have been aware, tormented and insulted her." The "mean
walls, worn chairs, and ugly curtains" are inanimate objects that are literally incapable
of either tormenting or insulting her.
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