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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 Pale Horse, Pale Rider
Metaphors
Explanation and Analysis—The Happy Housewives:
In a moment of satirical commentary on wartime domestic life, the narrator remarks:
So all the happy housewives hurry during the canning season to lay their baskets of peach pits on the altar of their country.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—The Sleeping House:
In a moment of quiet dread and psychological dislocation, Porter combines metaphor and personification to capture Miranda’s isolation and physical detachment:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Her heart was a stone lying upon her breast outside of her; her pulses lagged and paused, and she knew that something strange was going to happen, even as the early morning winds were cool through the lattice, the streaks of light were dark blue and the whole house was snoring in its sleep.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Sacrificial Lamb:
Porter uses metaphor and biblical allusion in Pale Horse, Pale Rider to heighten the emotional and symbolic weight of Adam’s character. In one passage, as Miranda walks beside him, she reflects:
Unlock with LitCharts A+No, there was no resentment or revolt in him. Pure, she thought, all the way through, flawless, complete, as the sacrificial lamb must be. The sacrificial lamb strode along casually, accommodating his long pace to hers, keeping her on the inside of the walk in the good American style, helping her across street corners as if she were a cripple—‘I hope we don’t come to a mud puddle, he’ll carry me over it’—giving off whiffs of tobacco smoke, a manly smell of scentless soap, freshly cleaned leather and freshly washed skin.
Related Themes:
