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Irony
Definition of Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor can be stated explicitly, as... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other... read full definition
Key Examples in Into the Wild
Chapter 14 - The Stikine Ice Cap
Explanation and Analysis—Halogen Glow:
In Chapter 14, before Krakauer tells the story of climbing Devil's Thumb, he starts by recounting how he started climbing as a young man. To describe the feelings of those early climbs, Krakauer uses metaphors of light and dark:
By fixing my sights on one summit after another, I managed to keep my bearings through some thick postadolescent fog. Climbing mattered. The danger bathed the world in a halogen glow that caused everything—the sweep of the rock, the orange and yellow lichens, the texture of the clouds—to stand out in brilliant relief. Life thrummed at a higher pitch. The world was made real.
Related Themes:
Chapter 15 - The Stikine Ice Cap
Explanation and Analysis—Bridge of Privilege:
In Chapter 15, Krakauer attempts to climb Devil's Thumb alone. Trying to relieve some stress, he smokes some pot but burns his tent badly in the process. This jarring moment reminds him of his rocky relationship with his father. He reflects on his coddled upbringing using a metaphor of bridges:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Two decades after the fact I discovered that my rage was gone, and had been for years. It had been supplanted by a rueful sympathy and something not unlike affection. I came to understand that I had baffled and infuriated my father at least as much as he had baffled and infuriated me. I saw that I had been selfish and unbending and a giant pain in the ass. He’d built a bridge of privilege for me, a hand-paved trestle to the good life, and I repaid him by chopping it down and crapping on the wreckage.
Related Themes:
