Some of your favorite writing likely employs what we call personification, but it can be difficult to understand what that means without seeing personification examples. What is personification and what are some examples of personification? How do you know when you use this tactic in your writing?
In this article, we provide a list of personification examples for authors so you can improve your writing skills and take your book or novel to a whole new level. Personification is a great writing tool and can be used to add dynamics to a scene that otherwise would simply not exist.
Like most writing rules, personification should be used with discretion. Everything in moderation, right? So first, let’s start with the definition of personification, then dive into some personification examples, and lastly, end with a step by step guide.
Need A Fiction Book Outline?
Get customizable templates for easy book writing and structuring.
TL;DR: Personification is a literary device that gives human qualities (emotions, actions, intentions) to non-human things. Writers use it to make scenes vivid, build mood, and connect readers to objects, animals, and abstract ideas. Famous examples include Hemingway’s feminine sea in The Old Man and the Sea, Plath’s swallowing mirror, and Sandburg’s fog that “comes on little cat feet.”
What is personification?
Personification is a figure of speech that assigns human characteristics, emotions, or behaviors to non-human things such as objects, animals, ideas, or natural forces.
It’s a type of figurative language used to make writing more vivid, emotional, and memorable. Instead of describing a storm as “loud,” a writer might say “the storm howled with rage”, turning weather into a character.
The technique appears across literature, poetry, music, and everyday speech. When you say “my alarm clock screams at me” or “the wind whispered through the trees,” you’re using personification.
Why writers use personification
Personification does four things no plain description can:
- Builds atmosphere — a “groaning” old house feels haunted before anything happens
- Creates emotional resonance — readers project feelings onto humanized objects
- Makes abstract ideas concrete — death, time, hope, and fear become characters readers can grasp
- Adds layered meaning — a single verb can foreshadow plot or mirror a character’s inner state
This is why personification is one of the most-used tools in our list of 21 essential literary devices. It’s foundational craft for any author.
Personification vs. anthropomorphism vs. metaphor
These three terms get mixed up constantly. Here’s the clean distinction:
| Device | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Personification | Figuratively gives human traits to non-humans | “The wind whispered through the trees.” |
| Anthropomorphism | Literally makes non-humans behave like humans | Mickey Mouse wears clothes and talks. |
| Metaphor | Compares two unlike things directly | “Time is a thief.” |
The simplest test: if the object literally talks, walks, or wears clothes (Beauty and the Beast’s Lumiere), that’s anthropomorphism. If it’s a poetic stand-in for a human action it can’t really perform (a clock that “races”), that’s personification.
Personification examples from literature
Below is a list of personification examples for authors that you may or may not easily pick up on. However, it’s important to provide you with a few examples prior to a definition so you can pick up on a few areas: how easily it can blend in, how it helps the setting come alive, and how it’s been done.
1. The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein
“Once there was a tree
And she loved little boy.
And every day the boy would come
And he would gather her leaves
And make them into crowns and play king of the forest.
[…] And the boy loved the tree very much.And the tree was happy.
But time went by,
And the boy grew older.
And the tree was often alone.”
The Giving Tree is one of the most popular personification examples. The tree experiences love, happiness, and loneliness, giving it human qualities.
2. A Separate Peace, John Knowles
“Peace had deserted Devon. Although not in the look of the campus and village; they retained much of their dreaming summer calm. Fall had barely touched the full splendor of the trees, and during the height of the day the sun briefly regained its summertime power. In the air there was only an edge of coolness to imply the coming winter. But all had been caught up, like the first fallen leaves, by a new and energetic wind.”
In A Separate Peace, peace deserts, fall touches, and the wind is energetic. There are so many personification examples in this one quote alone, and many more within the full novel.
3. The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allen Poe
“Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim.”
The Tell-Tale Heart is a wonderful example of personification in writing. Death is made into a character in its own right, and it stalks and moves like only a human can.
4. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
“There is something subversive about this garden of Serena’s, a sense of buried things bursting upwards, wordlessly, into the light, as if to point, to say: Whatever is silenced will clamour to be heard, though silently. […] Light pours down upon it from the sun, true, but also heat rises, from the flowers themselves, you can feel it: like holding your hand an inch above an arm, a shoulder. It breathes, in the warmth, breathing itself in.”
In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale we get plenty of personification examples. In the quote above, the garden breathes and is subversive, qualities no garden can truly have.
5. Flight, John Steinbeck
“Five-fingered ferns hung over the water and dropped spray from their fingertips.”
Steinbeck’s short story Flight gives five-finger ferns actual fingertips – and gives them human actions that personify the plants.
6. Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
“Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.”
Yes, even Shakespeare used personification! In Romeo’s famous speech, the sun is fair and the moon is envious and grieving.
7. Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
“Death, that strange being with the huge square toes who lived way in the West. The great one who lived in the straight house like a platform without sides to it, and without a roof. What need has Death for a cover, and what winds can blow against him? He stands in his high house that overlooks the world. Stands watchful and motionless all days with his sword drawn back, waiting for the messenger to bid him come.”
Here is another example where death is personified. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, death is a being with toes and a house of its own.
8. The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway
“But the old man always thought of her as feminine and as something that gave or withheld great favors, and if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them. The moon affects her as it does a woman, he thought.”
In The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway describes the ocean as if it were a person: feminine, wicked, and withholding, making this novel the perfect example of personification.
9. The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson
“Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”
The Haunting of Hill House is a perfect example of personification in literature. Shirley Jackson makes Hill House feel alive and sinister through the use of personification, saying the house is insane and is standing in wait.
10. Paul Revere’s Ride, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“In their night-encampment on the hill,
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel’s tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, ‘All is well!'”
In Paul Revere’s Ride, Longfellow makes the wind whisper, watch, and creep – using personification to add an enveloping atmosphere to his words.
11. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
“A waft of wind came sweeping down the laurel-walk, and trembled through the boughs of the chestnut: it wandered away—away—to an indefinite distance—it died.”
This is one of the great personification examples in literature. In Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, the wine sweeps, trembles, and wanders like a person.
12. The Odyssey, Homer
“The ship danced over the waves, eager to return to Ithaca.”
In this personification example from The Odyssey, the waves dance and are eager, giving them human-like qualities.
13. Animal Farm, George Orwell
“The windmill loomed over the farm, its blades turning with a relentless determination …”
In Animal Farm, we see personification when the windmill is determined and looming over the farm.
14. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
“The fire’s fingers reached out, devouring the pages of the forbidden books.”
Fahrenheit 451 personifies fire by giving it fingers and allowing it to devour things.
15. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
“The moors sighed with the weight of the secrets they held, whispering tales of love and revenge.”
Wuthering Heights makes the moors a main character in the story by giving them the ability to hold secrets and sigh.
16. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
“The sun persists in rising, so I make myself stand.”
In The Hunger Games, we see personification when the sun is persisting in its action, as if it has the choice to do so.
17. Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
“Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon / Who is already sick and pale with grief …”
Here we have two personification examples in the sun and the moon. The moon is sick with grief and the sun has the ability to kill.
18. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling
“The Triwizard Cup is waiting. It is waiting for you.”
When our favorite wizarding student enters his fourth year at Hogwarts, we are told that the Triwizard Cup is waiting for him as if it isn’t an inanimate object.
19. Hey Diddle, Diddle, Mother Goose
“Hey, Diddle, Diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.”
Not all personification examples come from fine literature. Nursery rhymes and poetry are full of this literary device as well! Here, the dish and the spoon run away together, making them seem very human, indeed.
20. Two Sunflowers Move in the Yellow Room, William Blake
“Ah, William, we’re weary of weather,”
said the sunflowers, shining with dew.
“Our traveling habits have tired us.
Can you give us a room with a view?”
In William Blakes poem, sunflowers are able to talk and have human emotions.
21. Magdalen Walks, Oscar Wilde
“And the plane to the pine-tree is whispering some tale of love
Till it rustles with laughter and tosses its mantle of green,”
In this poem, the plane whispers and the tree laughs, giving them human actions and qualities.
22. Mirror, Sylvia Plath
“I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see I swallow immediately
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.
I am not cruel, only truthful,”
Here the mirror is personified because it is given a full monologue and it is able to swallow.
23. A Miracle to Behold, Patricia A Flemming
“Seagulls soar above her surf,
The sun reflects and gleams,
While people come from miles around
To stroll upon her beach.”
Here the ocean is called a “her,” which is one of the most subtle and simple personification examples possible.
24. Eight Balloons, Shel Silverstein
“Eight balloons no one was buyin’,
All broke loose one afternoon.
Eight balloons with strings a-flyin’,
Free to do what they wanted to.”
Shel Silverstein personifies balloons by giving them wants and whims.
25. The Raven, Edgar Allen Poe
“And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before.”
Poe is a master of personification. Here the curtains are sad and uncertain.
Now that you’ve seen some personification examples in literature and poetry, let’s talk about how you can use personification in your own writing.
More personification examples
26. The wind whispered through the trees.
27. The sun smiled down on us.
28. The flowers danced in the breeze.
29. Time marches on.
30. The waves clapped against the shore.
31.The stars winked at us from the night sky.
32. The moonlight wrapped around her like a soft blanket.
33. The car coughed and sputtered to life.
34. The angry storm pounded on the roof.
35. The clock ticked impatiently.
36. The thunder growled in the distance.
37. The leaves chuckled as they fell.
38. The river sang a soothing melody.
39. The fog crept silently through the streets.
40. The shadows stretched and yawned as evening fell.
41. The old house groaned with memories.
42. The mountains stood tall and proud.
43. The fire danced in the fireplace.
44. The refrigerator hummed a happy tune.
45. The computer glared at me with its blue screen.
46. The city never sleeps.
47. The books whispered secrets to each other.
48. The roads wound like ribbons through the countryside.
49. The trees reached for the sky.
50. The walls listened to our conversations.
51. The ocean sighed with contentment.
52. The breeze playfully tugged at her hair.
53. The night wrapped the world in its dark embrace.
54. The garden awoke with laughter in the morning sun.
55. The clock’s hands raced toward midnight.
Using personification examples in different genres
To help get you thinking, it’s important to include personification examples in various book genres.
What is an example of personification in horror?
“The poison snuck along the floor, crawling closer as it dripped from above.”
How about an example of personification in romance?
“The ring flirted with the sunlight, sending sparks of joy in every direction.”
What about a dystopian sci-fi novel?
“This close to the city, oppression hung in the air. People walked with their hands over their mouths, as if attempting to keep the smog from gripping their lungs.”
Whether you write horror, romance, or dystopian fiction, personification acts as an aid in bringing your setting to life. It’s not just people who can sing, dance, mourn, laugh, sneak, and yell.
Words can sing. Wind can dance. Rain can mourn. Waves can laugh. Vines can sneak. Thunder can yell. But how should you employ these personification examples in your own writing?
7 types of personification (with examples)
Most personification falls into one of seven categories. Knowing the type helps you choose the right tool for the scene.
Personifying nature
Trees, weather, oceans, and landscapes given human will and emotion. Example: “The mountain grumbled deep in its stone belly, displeased by the miners’ intrusion.”
Personifying inanimate objects
Furniture, technology, and household items given moods. Example: “The vintage car cleared its throat before turning over.”
Personifying abstract ideas
Death, love, time, fear, hope, and justice are concepts given physical action. Example: “Time is a pickpocket, stealthily lifting years while you’re looking the other way.”
Personifying animals (without making them talk)
Animals given complex human emotions without crossing into anthropomorphism. Example: “The dog cried mournfully as I left, begging me not to leave him alone.”
Personifying body parts or senses
Body parts given independent agency. Example: “Her eyes flirted with him across the bar.”
Personifying institutions or groups
A company, government, or city given personality. Example: “The city never sleeps.”
Pathetic fallacy
A specific subset of personification where nature reflects a character’s emotional state. Example: “As she tried to process what had happened, the sky tore open and the wind howled.”
How to use personification in your writing: a 4-step framework
The fastest way to use personification well is to follow a repeatable process. Here’s the one we recommend to authors in our book writing programs.
Step 1: Identify what to personify
Ask: what non-human element in this scene is doing something the reader needs to feel? Common candidates:
- The weather or natural setting
- An object the character is interacting with
- An abstract emotion or force (fear, time, silence)
- A space or building
Step 2: Choose one human trait to assign
Resist the urge to load multiple traits onto one object. Pick one verb or one quality and let it do the work. “The icy water punched the breath from his lungs” lands harder than three modifiers stacked together.
Step 3: Match the trait to the mood
The same object can carry opposite tones depending on the verb you choose:
- Comforting: “The grandfather clock hummed a steady, comforting tune, marking the seconds like a heartbeat.”
- Sinister: “The clock counted down with a rhythmic, skeletal snap, hungry for the final second.”
Choose verbs that match the emotional direction of the scene.
Step 4: Edit ruthlessly
Personification is most effective in moderation. If every paragraph has wind whispering and shadows yawning, the technique loses force. A useful rule: one strong personification per scene beats five mediocre ones.
This is the same principle behind show, don’t tell. Restraint and specificity always win.
Tips for using personification
Here are our top tips for using personification:
Focus on one sense
To begin, choose what you want to come to life. Let’s say your setting is Antarctica, and your protagonist is a man with his dog sled attempting to scout the land. If you’ve ever watched Against The Ice, images likely filled your mind as you read this.
However, try reading the book. Notice where Ejnar Mikkelsen uses personification, or could use it. Could the ice be a sleeping giant? Could the whip of the wind be a cruel villain? Focus on one aspect such as the following:
- Touch
- Taste
- Smell
- Hearing
- Sight
Next, pair one of the senses with the setting.
- Touch of freezing water
- Taste of falling snow
- Smell of desolation
- Hearing the creak of ice
- Seeing the blinding sun
Finally, add a touch of humanity.
- The water had an icy grip.
- Ice creaked, old joints trying to stand.
- The air smelled desolate, as if trying to camouflage itself from the explorers.
Alright, now on to step two.
Study non-verbals
I’m still surprised how much studying communication in undergrad prepared me to be a writer. Nonverbal communication is the one type of communication we can never refuse.
Studying the art of nonverbal communication can greatly enhance your mastery of personification.
- People communicate 24/7, whether they realize it or not, which means…
- Your characters are always communicating, which means…
- You can always employ nonverbal personification.
Have fun playing around with it and see what you come up with!
Don’t go overboard
With personification, less is often more. Consider the following two examples:
- The icy water gripped his shoulders, forcing him under, wrapping around him in a stiff hug, and punching the breath from his lungs.
- Icy water punched the breath from his lungs.
Today’s writers are often encouraged to use less description and leave the rest up to the reader. Too much detail and you risk losing your readers as they try to visualize every detail, rather than fill in the blanks for themselves.
Common mistakes when using personification
Three patterns that flatten otherwise good prose:
Mistake 1: Stacking too many personifications in one passage
Multiple personified elements in a single paragraph compete for attention. The reader can’t picture all of them at once.
Mistake 2: Reaching for cliché
“The wind howled,” “the sun smiled,” “the flowers danced.” These work in everyday speech but won’t surprise a reader. Look for a fresh verb specific to your scene.
Mistake 3: Mismatched tone
A “giggling” thunderstorm in a serious scene undercuts the mood. Always check that the human trait you’re assigning matches the emotional weight of the moment
Frequently asked questions about personification
What is personification in simple terms?
Personification is when a writer gives human qualities (like emotions, actions, or speech) to something that isn’t human, such as an object, animal, or idea. Example: “The clock screamed at me to wake up.”
What’s the difference between personification and anthropomorphism?
Personification is figurative. It uses human traits as a poetic device. Anthropomorphism is literal. The non-human thing actually behaves like a human throughout the work. The Beast in Beauty and the Beast is anthropomorphism; “the wind whispered” is personification.
Is personification a metaphor?
Personification is technically a type of metaphor, since it implies a comparison between a non-human thing and a person. But not all metaphors are personification, only those that assign human characteristics.
What’s a famous example of personification?
Carl Sandburg’s “The fog comes on little cat feet” is one of the most-cited personifications in modern poetry. Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death – He kindly stopped for me” is another.
Can personification be used in nonfiction?
Yes. Memoir, narrative journalism, and even business writing use personification to make abstract ideas concrete. “The market panicked” is personification, and it appears in financial reporting every day.
How much personification is too much?
If a reader notices the device instead of the scene, you’ve used too much. A useful rule: one strong personification per scene, not per paragraph.
What’s the difference between personification and pathetic fallacy?
Pathetic fallacy is a specific type of personification where the natural environment reflects a character’s emotional state – a storm during a breakup, sunshine during a reconciliation. All pathetic fallacy is personification, but not all personification is pathetic fallacy.
Let your writing leap forward
Now that you have seen quite a few personification examples and tips for using them it’s time to dive into your own writing. To start out easy, try adding one element of personification to the below examples:
- Rain splatted the pavement.
- Sun filled the living room.
- He heard thunder overhead.
How did you do? If it feels awkward at first, that means you’re learning what works and what doesn’t. Embrace the discomfort and keep trying with different personification examples.
But now it’s time to get back to your work-in-progress. You learned how to use another writing rule and now it’s time to execute your newfound knowledge. Ask yourself the following questions as you get back to your manuscript:
- Where could personification make my story come alive?
- Where would personification distract from my story?
- How can I ensure I use personification just enough, and not too much?
Remember, all writing needs editing, so don’t worry about your first tries. Go all in. You can always edit out some of your personification examples later, but the practice will be worth it. Enjoy the process!
Most writers try to do this alone and stall out somewhere around chapter five. Not because they lack talent, but because they don’t have a system for turning craft knowledge into a finished book.
If you’ve been working on a book and want help finishing it (and getting it published), our coaches have helped over 7,000 authors do exactly that. Book a free strategy call to see if we’re a fit.
Either way, keep writing. The page is waiting.
Love this post? Here are some more related reads!
