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Simile
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Lancet:
Following a particularly cutting remark from Mrs. Penniman about Dr. Sloper's past family losses, Dr. Sloper retaliates with a look so sharp and intense that James uses a simile to compare it to a medical instrument:
Mrs Penniman hesitated a moment. Then she risked her retort. ‘Your being a distinguished physician has not prevented you from already losing two members of your family!’ She had risked it, but her brother gave her such a terribly incisive look—a look so like a surgeon’s lancet—that she was frightened at her courage.
This simile serves a dual purpose. Firstly, the "incisive look" suggests the sharpness and depth of Dr. Sloper's anger at Aunt Penniman. He is cutting into her with his eyes. A lancet is a tool used to make precise cuts or punctures in medicine. Here, the simile points to the precision and depth of his response to Aunt Penniman’s comment.
The narrator meets Mrs. Penniman's insult regarding Dr. Sloper's role as a "distinguished physician" with a retort made in medical language. This suggests that, even in personal disputes, Dr. Sloper's identity as a physician remains ever-present. However, the simile does more than just showcase his emotional state. By invoking a medical tool, the narrator draws a parallel between Dr. Sloper's professional and personal identities. Even in his personal interactions, his identity as a physician is never entirely absent. The simile becomes a reflection of his character. He's clinical, precise, and unyielding. When Mrs. Penniman dares to challenge him, his response is not just sharp. It's precise in its intent, cutting right to the core of the matter.
Furthermore, the use of a lancet—an instrument of healing—is paradoxically employed here as a weapon that wounds. It underscores the duality of Dr. Sloper's character. He’s a healer who specializes in women’s matters by profession, but a figure of dominance and control for the women in his life.
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