She snorted with a sudden violence which twenty-four hours earlier would have unmanned me completely. Even in my present tolerably robust condition, it affected me like one of those gas explosions which slay six.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A sudden aggressive reaction from a character is described using violent and exaggerated imagery.
- In plain terms
- Her angry outburst was so strong it felt dangerous to the narrator.
- What can you take from it?
- Emotional shifts can be depicted as physically overwhelming events.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What triggered this sudden change?
- How does the narrator feel now?
Another view
The comparison to a gas explosion is intentionally melodramatic for comedic effect.
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