Epiphany - Examples and Definition of Epiphany

Epiphany Definition
Derived from the Greek phrase epiphaneia, epiphany means “appearance,” or “manifestation.” In literary terms, an epiphany is that moment in the story in which a man or woman achieves consciousness, awareness, or a feeling of information, after which occasions are seen through the prism of this new mild inside the story.

James Joyce, the tremendous Irish writer, used this time period in his writings to suggest a unexpected eye-opener regarding the nature of a person or situation. He said that it's miles the moment in which “the soul of the commonest object … seems to us radiant, and can be manifested through any chance, phrase, or gesture.” He means to say that even insignificant things in our lives can all at once encourage in us an awareness that can alternate our lives for good.

A Common Example of Epiphany
Let us remember an epiphany of a smoker:

I used to smoke a lot. Everyone permit me know that it was awful for my health however, I didn’t pay any notice. One day I saw my two-year-old baby trying to take hold of a stubbed-out cigarette from the ashtray. Seeing this, it unexpectedly dawned on me how horrible smoking become, and I stopped smoking.

So, this surprising feeling of understanding that brings to mild what was up to now hidden, and modifications one’s life, is called epiphany.

Examples of Epiphany in Literature
Let us examine a few epiphany examples from unique genres of literature.

Example #1: Animal Farm (By George Orwell)
Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, is an epiphany that makes use of animals on a farm to describe the overthrow of the ultimate Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, and the Communist Revolution of Russia before WWI. The actions of the animals on the farm are used to expose the greed and corruption of the revolution. It also describes how powerful people can change the ideology of a society. One of the cardinal rules at the farm is this:

All animals are equal but a few are more equal than others.

The animals on the farm represent one-of-a-kind sections of Russian society after the revolution.

For instance, the pigs represent people who came to energy following the revolution; “Mr. Jones,” the proprietor of the farm, represents the overthrown Tsar Nicholas II; while “Boxer” the horse, represents the laborer class. The use of Epiphany within the novel allows Orwell to make his position clean about the Russian Revolution and divulge its evils.

Example #2: Hamlet (By William Shakespeare)
William Shakespeare additionally uses an epiphany in his play Hamlet. It is whilst Hamlet, the hero, is on a ship sailing to England. Till then, he turned into over-burdened with questioning and planning a perfect revenge on his father’s murderer, Claudius. Suddenly there is a flash of cognizance and he says:

[T]here is a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will.

He realizes that there is no know-how for him in trying to inflict the best revenge on Claudius – he must take hold of the moment and go along with the current.

Example #3: Miss Brill (By Katherine Manfield)
We find another example of epiphany in the quick story Miss Brill, written by using Katherine Manfield. Miss Brill, being delighted to be part of the season in the Jardins Publique, especially on Sundays, prepares herself for the occasion on a chilly day. She wears her fur coat, and walks towards a band gambling music within the park. She sees life everywhere around her. It pleases her to assume that she is part of all that takes place. In a flash of epiphany, she recognizes that she and every person else in the park are mere actors, acting out their roles. There become nothing important about that accumulating of actors and she or he was alone notwithstanding being with a crowd.

Function of Epiphany
The purpose of epiphany in a unique or a quick story is to factor out a turning point for a person, or inside the plot, within the near future. It can also be used to exchange the opinion of one person approximately different characters, events, and locations after a unexpected awareness of the situation. It will also be a sign of a conclusion inside the tale.