The repetition technique, on the first account, connotes and serves on the ground that it tells and helps in knowing about the specific literary style of any author.
The concerned discussion is about the Lexical Repetition,
Sentential Repetition, and Sectional Repetition in literary texts, especially
in novels. These mentioned types of repetition help in assembling a
comprehensible understanding of inferences, situational contexts, and events
happening in the narrative. The most relevant notion is that, what is the
relation of narrated text with the implied meaning of an author? , and also
with certain circumstances? , and with specific happening situations in the
text which are going on?
The significance of repetition technique in a literary text could be signified as: for the creation of aesthetic effects in writings by an author, for better comprehension of the intention of an author, for the mastery of the flowery language of a writer, and to unveil the authors’ deep thinking about the peculiar matter of subject in his/her writing. Authors emphasize onset events or on a fixed person in the story of long narration like novels.
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The application and identification of these explained repetition techniques are fairly be linked with the selected literary work of Pakistani novelist Bapsi Sidhwa, The Ice Candy-Man. This novel is her masterpiece of 1991 and this novel had acclaimed her as an English novelist of South Asia. This is all about the deadly and brutally brash partition of Pakistan and India. Issues of women, their subjugation, and suppression are also highlighted in it. The narrator is a young polio-effective girl named Lenny. She belongs to a Parsee family residing in Lahore with her Father, Mother, God Mother, and her lovely, sensual caretaker Ayah. Her Ayah had happened to face the suppression at the hands of his Muslim lover (Candy-Man) when partition happens and separates the identities of Hindu, Muslim, and Sikhs on a note to acclaim the religion and community wise separation by the people of Indo-Pak.
Examples of referential theoretical account of interpretation given by Sidhwa in her Ice Candy-Man supporting the meaning underlying by lexical, sentential, and section repetition technique, such as:
1: Lexical Repetition
Repeated lexis or words in sentences and paragraphs exhibit the salient meaning of that particular word with the narration and also explicit the implicit meaning of the author.
In texts, we come across repeatedly
mentioned names of persons, things, etc., and the repetition of words that
decode the mood, feelings of a narrator, communicate the relevant significance
in a literary text (novels). The reader infers the assumptions of the writer in
a sense of association of words with the implied meaning of the writers’
intention. The deliberately repeated words by writers in texts also make their
intention vivid and bright for readers. The narrators’ emphasis could be
connoted with his/her underlying covert meaning which he/she wanted to be
revealed thus ultimately get the realization of their meaning of intention.
‘The
mouse comes home crying.’ My mother rubs her knuckles to her eyes and,
energetically imitating the mouse, sobs, ‘“Mummy, Mummy, do something. The
children at school tease me. They sing: ‘Freaky mousey with seven tails! Lousy
mousey with seven tails!’” So, the little mouse’s motherchops off one tail. The
next day the mouse again comes home crying: “Mummy, Mummy, the children tease
me. ‘Lousy mousey with six tails! Freaky mousey with six tails!’”’ And so on,
until one by one the little mouse’s tails are all chopped off and the story
winds to its inevitable and dismal end with the baby mouse crying: ‘Mummy,
Mummy, the children tease me. They sing, “Freaky mousey with no tail! Lousy
mousey with no tail!”’ And there is no way a tail can be tacked back on. (1st chapter) (Ice Candy Man)
The repeated words Freaky Mousey, Lousy Mousey in this paragraph
connotes Sidhwa s’ emphasis on the point that her character Lenny is helpless,
she is weak, feeble, and sneaky like a mouse because of her poliomyelitis
weakness.
‘Baijee?
Wake up.’ Ayah taps Mother’s hand urgently.‘Baijee?’ (2nd chapter) (Ice Candy Man)
Lexical repetition of name of a person in conversation even
justifies and manifests, writers’ accentuation or stress on somebody's moods in
a literary text. Like this example, Ayah is calling, again and again, her
master (Lenny s’ mother).
It
is dark, but now and then a dart of twilight illuminates subtle artistry. My
nose inhales the fragrance of earth and grass – and the other fragrance that
distils insights....... The essence of truth and beauty. I recall the choking
hell of milky vapours and discover that heaven has a dark fragrance. (3rd
chapter) (Ice Candy Man)
The repetition of words dark and fragrance shows the hidden brutal
reality of the partition event that is happening in this novel. Sidhwa is
showing and inferring the rash act of partition by using the word dark and in
another sequence the usage of the word fragrance connoting symbolically the
optimistic view upholding by her about the beauty and charm of this earth.
‘Talk
to me for a while … Just a little while,’ pleads Ice-candy-man so piteously
that Ayah, whose heart is as easily
inclined to melt as Ice-candy-man’…., ‘Only ten minutes.’
‘Now
talk,’ she says to Ice-candy-man. ‘Since you’re so anxious to talk, talk!’ (4th
chapter) (Ice Candy Man)
Now Sidhwa is describing the intensity of the mood of Ice Candy-Man and Ayah. The tension and rage between them are highlighted here by the repetition of word ‘talk’. It gives the meaning of persuasion on Ayah by her lover (Ice Candy-Man). Sidhwa is drawing our attention to specific persons and circumstances by the usage of lexical repetition technique, coherently.
2: Sentential Repetition
The role and magnitude of sentential repetition are almost the same
as lexical repetition. But the sentence, phrase repetition shows more intensity
or emphasis of the writer about something. In the relation of feelings,
emotions, mostly the inner feelings while one to one conversation, dialogues
and also in the soliloquies, ironical quotations when the narrator speaks.
My
boredom vanishes…. ‘Um …’ I moan
dutifully. There is no response. ‘Um… Um…’ I moan, determined to draw
attention. (1st Chapter) (Ice Candy Man)
Sidhwa is putting forth Lenny s’ feelings on some event that she
wanted attention from her caretaker. The phrase or sentential repetition, ‘Um… I moan’, which shows the gravity in
the mood of Lenny that she had to seek attention.
Pansies,
roses, butterflies and fragrances…….pick up a dandelion and blow. ‘He loves me–
he loves me not. He loves me– he loves me not …’ Ayah hums. I recognise the
tune. (6th chapter) (Ice Candy Man)
Ayah is talking to herself as he loves me- he loves me not, it
underlines the stress point here, that continuous tension is going on her
conscious that whether her lover (Ice Candy-Man) loves her or not.
A clutch of Hindu children with caste-marks
on their foreheads, curious at the burst of laughter, run up timidly and
suddenly yell: ‘Parsee Parsee, crow eaters! Crow eaters! Crow eaters!’ ‘We
don’t! We don’t! We don’t!’ I scream. (11th Chapter) (Ice Candy Man)
Now Sidhwa is predicting the intensity in the mood of Lenny by repeating the sentence We don’t! We don’t! We don’t. A group of Hindu children teasing her on account of her religion for being as Parsee. Lenny is agitating about those children's annoying behaviour. Sentential repetition is very much fairly used by Sidhwa here. We promptly and comprehensibly get our eyes on the feelings of Lenny, she was facing at that time.
Read Chapter 6 Analysis of the Novel; Ice Candy Man
3: Section Repetition
Section repetition is meant to be used by writers when they want us
to make our cognitive association with previously described or narrated scenes
and events with currently ongoing mentioned scenarios. The revelation of the
section repetition technique might be identified by only one single word or
lexeme rather than the complete phrases or sentential repetition. The other
face of the section repetition technique is that there might not be any lexeme,
word, phrase, and sentence repetition in it. Even without the amalgamation of
these repetitions, the status of section repetition is fairly being upheld by
authors in their literary writings. This notion could be explained as; when
writers write the section (any scene, event, feelings, etc.) they assuredly
uphold intended relevance with previous affairs, in their mind. They write
their peculiar narrative discourse to precipitate knowledge, holding in their
consciousness. They might not use the repeated words or phrases but the
repeated mood, feeling, the scenario in sectional repetition, effectively and
efficiently. Authors pen-down digestible and accessible clues to make their
readers the thoroughgoing recognizers of their narrated paragraphs. Section
repetition serves the readers to recall the scene and happenings. It is served
for writers also as to enhance the literary techniques used by them. It also
ultimately shows and reveals the philosophical sense of the writing style of
authors. The efficiency in the thought process of writers can also be judged by
this technique, effectually. The same notion is applied for readers too, their
cognitive ability to capture the pen-downed narrated thoughts by writers, are
judged, additionally.
I lie
on a white wooden table in a small room. I know it is the same hospital. I have
been lured unsuspecting to the table but I get a whiff of something frightening.
I hate the smell with all my heart, and my heart pounding I try to get off the table.
Hands hold me. Col. Bharucha, in a strange white cap and mask, looks at me
coolly and says something to a young and nervous lady doctor. The obnoxious
smell grows stronger as a frightening muzzle is brought closer to my mouth and
nose. I scream and kick out. The muzzle moves away. Again it attacks and again
I twist and wrench, turning my face from side to side. My hands are pinned
down. I can’t move my legs. I realise they are strapped. Hands hold my head.
‘No! No! Help me. Mummy! Mummy, help me!’ I shout, panicked. She too is aligned
with them. ‘I’m suffocating,’ I scream. ‘I can’t breathe.’ There is an unbearable weight on my chest. I moan
and cry. (1st chapter) (Ice Candy Man)
Sidhwa has also played a tact with the technique of section
repetition in her Ice Candy-Man. Lenny is in hospital for her regular treatment
and she recalls the previous scenario of her visit to the doctor. She says ‘I
know it is the same hospital’, this displays her all the experience of a
frightened check-up for the treatment of poliomyelitis.
‘She didn’t tell you? Are you
a father or a barber? And you all want Pakistan! How will you govern a country
when you don’t know what goes on in your own house?’(2nd chapter)
(Ice Candy Man)
Here is again the previously contextual knowledge is handling by
the speaker. The doctor is saying to his patient that you people are not much
able to take care of yourself efficiently, how would you care competently and
dutifully the separate homeland that you are demanding for? Sidhwa has
presented the backdrop knowledge and hyped concept of Pak-India independence by
using this type of section repetition technique.
Conclusion:
Thus the discussion so far is to be concluded as that the repetition technique helps and serves the writer and reader engagingly such as it makes the writer a good narrator and the reader as an efficient comprehensible reader. So ultimately writers become able to convey their emotive purpose to the readers by their writings. The usage of repetition technique is vindicating fairly marked in a long narrative text such as novels. Because the referential theoretical account analysis is very much needed in grasping the implicative sense of the whole novel, which is a laborious task indeed. But the repetition technique in lexical, sentential, and sectional eases in the understanding of covert meanings and narrative discourses which the writer wants to convey.
Writer: Emaan Afroz is an MS English student with great quality of writing. She can be reached here.
