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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
Metaphors
Explanation and Analysis—Neddy the Cartographer:
Near the beginning of the story, as Neddy starts to envision his swim across the county, the narrator metaphorically refers to Neddy as a cartographer, as seen in the following passage:
He seemed to see, with a cartographer’s eye, that string of swimming pools, that quasi-subterranean stream that curved across the county. He had made a discovery, a contribution to modern geography; he would name the stream Lucinda after his wife. He was not a practical joker nor was he a fool but he was determinedly original and had a vague and modest idea of himself as a legendary figure.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Sex as a Magic Pill:
In the latter half of Neddy’s journey through the swimming pools, he encounters different types of struggle and strife. After leaving the Biswangers’ pool—where he was treated quite rudely—he moves onto a pool belonging to a Shirley Adams, a woman he once had an affair with. The narrator uses a series of metaphors here to capture Neddy’s expectations for his visit with Shirley:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The next pool on his list, the last but two, belonged to his old mistress, Shirley Adams. If he had suffered any injuries at the Biswangers’ they would be cured here. Love—sexual roughhouse in fact—was the supreme elixir, the pain killer, the brightly colored pill that would put the spring back into his step, the joy of life in his heart. They had had an affair last week, last month, last year. He couldn’t remember.
Related Themes:
