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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 The Handmaid’s Tale
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Disease:
In Chapter 2, Offred describes her relationship with Rita, one of the women who serves as a housekeeper for the Commander and Serena Joy. Rita and Offred do not get along, though not for Offred's lack of willingness or trying. In the following passage, Offred reveals through metaphor that Rita's opinion of her hinges on things Offred herself cannot control:
The frown isn't personal: it's the red dress she disapproves of, and what it stands for. She thinks I may be catching, like a disease or any form of bad luck.
Related Themes:
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Death and Sex:
In Chapter 4, Atwood begins to explore Offred's relationship to her body, breaking down the effect an oppressive theocracy would have on a person's relationship to sex. Offred herself frequently conflates sex and death through metaphor, as in the passage below:
Unlock with LitCharts A+What if I were to peel off my red shroud and show myself to him, to them, by the uncertain light of the lanterns?
Related Themes:
Chapter 13
Explanation and Analysis—Offred's Body:
In the following excerpt from Chapter 13, Offred uses metaphor to illustrate the sense of detachment she feels from her body:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation, or an implement for the accomplishment of my will . . . . Now the flesh arranges itself differently. I'm a cloud, congealed around a central object, the shape of a pear, which is hard and more real than I am . . . . Every month there is a moon, gigantic, round, heavy, an omen.
Related Themes:
