Literary Devices In Icefield

Literary devices have been use in many writings to produce a special effect for the readers. From allusions to metaphors, each and every one of these devices serve a very important purpose. In the novel, Icefields, Thomas Wharton uses many literary devices to make Icefields more captivating for his audience. The use of these devices are mostly subtle but very impactful when discovered. Through the use of these literary devices readers can have a better understanding of the story. Wharton’s use of flashbacks provides insight to the history of the characters in the novel. One may believe that Sara’s flashback is the most memorable. As she aids Byrne in the trading post Sara finds an opportunity to tell him about her parents, Viraj and Athabasca. …show more content…
Wharton allows the story to be told in the point of views of many different characters. The journal entries of Byrne, Elspeth, and Hal aid in revealing hidden characteristics and giving more elaborate explanations of thoughts that have been presented earlier the book. Readers can infer Byrne to be self-conscious about his experience in the crevasse as he revealed himself to be reluctant to tell his colleagues in fear of being called mad. Using Byrne’s perspective in the journal also strengthens the suffering he experiences from his injuries and the repercussions he faces because of it. As Byrne spends time studying glaciers in the sections nuntatak Byrne’s developing obsession for glaciers is apparent, although he does not directly admit this fact. Like Byrne, Elspeth is not every open about her feelings. Only in her journal entries has she fully poured her heart out about her thoughts. In the third-person limited omniscient point of view, Elspeth’s feelings about Byrne are held back to avoid bothering him. In Elspeth’s first entry she talks about how her true wish is to have Byrne visits her once in a while and because of this she feels weak. Outside of this example, readers would not simply be able to piece together Elspeth’s true intentions for her relationship with Byrne. The relationship between Hal and Freya is already apparent and in Hal’s entry he goes into detail on what qualities …show more content…
The brief definitions of the terms at the beginning of each chapter can be used as a tool to avoid confusion. Words like moraine and nunatak have double meaning when used in the context of the story. Being able to infer the second meaning from these short descriptions can make a difference in the way one reads the story. Wharton uses the word moraine as a way to describe the fact that the story is not always in chronological order. A moraine is “a chaotic jumble or fragments, from which history must reconstructed”. Despite the messy order of the stories the use flashbacks help put the story in order and help fill out any gaps in the storyline. Nunatak not only refers to “an island of rock [surrounded by ice], upon which one may discover the tenuous presence of life” (139), it can also refer to the duality of the characters which can be seen in the journal entries and different perspectives of the characters. Knowing the duality of the characters can give readers better understanding for their actions. The short description for a nunatak can also refer to the way Wharton and the characters describes Jasper which human-like characteristics. Though it looks and feels cold on the outside, the ice fields and the glaciers can be beautiful and lively. In the novel Icefields, the use of flashbacks, short descriptions, and perspectives to tell the story serve a purpose that