Literary notes about broken (AI summary)
The term "broken" in literature serves as a multifaceted descriptor, conveying both tangible disintegration and deep, intangible emotional loss. It can denote a literal fracture—a broken arm [1] or shattered chains [2]—while also capturing moments of inner turmoil or ruptured bonds, as when a character speaks in a broken voice [3] or suffers from a broken heart [4]. The word frequently marks a pivotal transition in the narrative, such as the abrupt breaking of silence by a sudden burst of cries [5] or the irrevocable breaking of trust between characters [6], thereby enriching the text with layers of physical, emotional, and societal decay.
- Tom’s arm, broken by the blow, hung useless.
— from An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises by Frank Edgar Farley and George Lyman Kittredge - Some effort had evidently been made to damage it, for the ropes had all been cut, and one of the chains had been broken.
— from Dracula's Guest by Bram Stoker - He heard me all through in silence; and then, in a broken voice, begged me to let him go to bed.
— from Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson - You see, I could have borne anything once, but latterly this want of money has broken my heart.
— from Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac - Just then the signal yell was given, and the momentary quiet which had preceded it was broken by a burst of cries, that far exceeded any before heard.
— from The Last of the Mohicans; A narrative of 1757 by James Fenimore Cooper - ‘Can’t bear what?—to be reminded of the promises you have broken?’
— from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
