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Simile
Explanation and Analysis—Copper Kettles:
Publicly deriding Catherine's character, Dr. Sloper employs a simile that he extends into a metaphor. He likens her flaws to indelible dents on a kettle:
She is like a copper kettle that receives a dent; you may polish up the kettle, but you can’t efface the mark.
This simile epitomizes Dr. Sloper's rigid, unforgiving view of his daughter. By equating Catherine's flaws to a permanent dent on a copper kettle, he implies that, regardless of her efforts to improve or "polish" herself, some defects are impossible to erase.
The Doctor extends this simile into a metaphor. Catherine isn’t just like a kettle, here: she is a kettle. This metaphor serves not only as a comment on Catherine's character, but also as an insight into Dr. Sloper's shallow and unwavering judgments. In likening Catherine to a kettle—a household object meant for service—he underscores his perception of her as an unremarkable object. Like a kettle, which has a simple, single job to do, he sees his daughter as having a utilitarian role in his life. The word "efface" is another way of saying “erase” or “remove.” Dr. Sloper believes that what he sees as Catherine's shortcomings (weakness, a perceived lack of intelligence, being a woman) are inherently and irrevocably part of her, and this viewpoint casts a lasting shadow on his perception of her worth.
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