28 pages • 56 minutes read
Isaac Bashevis SingerA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.
Singer uses personification in “Zlateh the Goat.” The most prevalent example is giving Zlateh a voice, “‘Maaaa.’ Yes, Zlateh’s language consisted of only one word, but it meant many things” (419). Zlateh speaks to Aaron through her language, and he understands her, so she becomes like a sister to him: “She comforted him with her patience” (419). Zlateh is personified to highlight her value.
Likewise, Singer personifies the weather: “The snow continued to fall and the wind wailed, first with one voice and then with many. Sometimes it had the sound of devilish laughter” (419). The “devilish laughter” represents a supernatural and threatening component of the storm. Singer’s use of personification amplifies Zlateh as a deuteragonist character and the weather as an antagonist.
Singer uses third-person narrative in “Zlateh the Goat,” telling the story through the lens of an assumptive-omniscient narrator. For example, the narrator knows the thoughts and the feelings of the characters but uses passive language: “At first Zlateh didn’t seem to mind the change in the weather [...] Her mild eyes seemed to ask [.
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