Rip Van Winkle
by Washington Irving

Rip Van Winkle: Metaphors 1 key example

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
Metaphors
Explanation and Analysis—Fiery Furnace:

 Diedrich Knickerbocker, the scholar who narrates the central tale of "Rip Van Winkle," uses a metaphor to describe "henpecked" men like Rip, who submit to their wives' wills, as metal made softer and more workable in a blacksmith's forge:

Their tempers, doubtless, are rendered pliant and malleable in the fiery furnace of domestic tribulation[.]