Both Uses of
recoil
in
Gone with the Wind
- "A thief!" whispered Melanie, recoiling from the still body.†
Chpt 3.26 *
- Involuntarily, she recoiled from them.†
Chpt 5.56
Definition:
-
(recoil) to move backward suddenly (sometimes figuratively)especially:
- the backward jerk of a gun or cannon when it is fired
- when a person flinches (suddenly draws back) from someone or something, as with fear, disgust, or pain
- when a person is emotionally repulsed, as by disgust
- when something intended to go in one direction figuratively falls back in the opposite direction; for example, a story told to hurt someone that comes back to hurt the teller