Previous
Logos
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
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Cloud and Wind:
In Chapter 5, just after Hawkeye and the Mohicans have saved Duncan from Magua's treachery, Duncan encourages the party to run after the fleeing Magua. Hawkeye responds with a metaphor emblematic of his invented dialect:
“Why so soon disheartened!” he exclaimed; “the scoundrel must be concealed behind some of these trees, and may yet be secured. We are not safe while he goes at large.”
“Would you set a cloud to chase the wind?” returned the disappointed scout[...]
Related Themes:
Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Deceptive Language:
In Chapter 10, Duncan tells Magua that his name for Uncas, "Le Cerf Agile," is a mistranslation of "Bounding Elk." Magua responds by comparing white people to "prattling women," a metaphor that is part of a motif in the novel:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“Here is some confusion in names between us, Le Renard,” said Duncan, hoping to provoke a discussion. “Daim is the French for deer, and cerf for stag; élan is the true term, when one would speak of an elk.”
“Yes,” muttered the Indian, in his native tongue; “the pale-faces are prattling women! they have two words for each thing, while a redskin will make the sound of his voice speak for him.”
Related Themes:
Chapter 16
Explanation and Analysis—Wounds of a Seared Heart:
In Chapter 16, Duncan tells Munro that he wants to marry Alice, not Cora. Munro takes the opportunity to fill Duncan in on the girls' origin stories, opening the flashback with a metaphor:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“You would be my son, Duncan, and you’re ignorant of the history of the man you wish to call your father. Sit ye down, young man, and I will open to you the wounds of a seared heart, in as few words as may be suitable.”
Related Themes:
Chapter 18
Explanation and Analysis—No Cross in My Veins:
In Chapter 18, in the aftermath of the massacre at Fort William Henry, Hawkeye vows murderous revenge against the French and the Hurons should he ever have the opportunity. He uses a metaphor to emphasize just how angry he is:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Revenge is an Indian feeling, and all who know me know that there is no cross in my veins[.]
Related Themes:
Chapter 33
Explanation and Analysis—Blazed Pine:
In Chapter 33, after Uncas's burial, Chingachgook waxes poetic about how Uncas has been called to a better place by God. He uses a metaphor to describe the position he now occupies:
Unlock with LitCharts A+As for me, the son and the father of Uncas, I am a blazed pine, in a clearing of the pale-faces.
Related Themes:
