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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 8: A Slippery Hitch
Explanation and Analysis—A Flexible World:
Reminiscing on his time spent in Brazil in Chapter 8, Nutbeem uses a metaphor to capture the experience of seeing a simple but effective boat called a jangada:
The world was all knots and lashings once—flex and give, that was the way it went before the brute force of nails and screws. Tells you something, eh?
Related Themes:
Chapter 10: The Voyage of Nutbeem
Explanation and Analysis—Over the Himalayas:
During a dinner in Chapter 10, Proulx uses metaphor to indicate the aunt's lack of interest in the conversation:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The aunt's red face bent down, parentheses around her mouth set like clamps. Impossible to know if she was listening to Nutbeem or flying over the Himalayas.
Chapter 38: The Sled Dog Driver’s Dream
Explanation and Analysis—Sweet as Love:
After Quoyle sees Wavey at a party at the Burkes' house in Chapter 38, a metaphor comes to him:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Was love then like a bag of assorted sweets passed around from which one might choose more than once? Some might sting the tongue, some invoke night perfume. Some had centers as bitter as gall, some blended honey and poison, some were quickly swallowed. And among the common bull's-eyes and peppermints a few rare ones; one or two with deadly needles at the heart, another that brought calm and gentle pleasure. Were his fingers closing on that one?
Related Themes:
