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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
Book 1, Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Long-tailed Sheep:
Near the beginning of the novel, Mr. Tulliver bemoans the fact that Maggie is “too ’cute” (his way of saying “too acute" or "too smart” in his dialect) and uses a metaphor comparing her to a sheep, as seen in the following passage:
“The little un takes after my side, now: she’s twice as ’cute as Tom. Too ’cute for a woman, I’m afraid,” continued Mr Tulliver, turning his head dubiously first on one side and then on the other. “It’s no mischief much while she’s a little un, but an over-’cute woman’s no better nor a long-tailed sheep — she’ll fetch none the bigger price for that.”
In equating Maggie with “a long-tailed sheep” who will “fetch none the bigger price for that,” Mr. Tulliver communicates his belief that women’s value comes from their looks and other feminine traits rather than their intelligence. Mr. Tulliver’s views are not unique—most men in this time period believed that women should be passive and restrained rather than creative and intelligent. That Mr. Tulliver compares Maggie to an animal he has put up for sale also shows how he views her as an object that belongs to him and whose marriage, he hopes, will bring the family money.
Related Themes:
Book 1, Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Medusa:
In a scene near the beginning of the novel—when Maggie and Tom are children—Tom pays more attention to their cousin Lucy, while Maggie (who has just cut off all her hair) feels angry and jealous. In this moment, the narrator combines a metaphor with an allusion, comparing Maggie to Medusa:
“Here, Lucy, you come along with me,” [Tom said] and walked off to the area where the toads were, as if there were no Maggie in existence. Seeing this, Maggie lingered at a distance, looking like a small Medusa with her snakes cropped.
In Greek mythology, Medusa was a monster with hair made of snakes who resented men and turned them to stone when they looked into her eyes. Here Maggie is like a little Medusa in two ways: her newly cut hair is standing in many different directions and she feels resentment towards a man (Tom). Via this metaphor, Maggie is indirectly being compared to Lucy, whose curly, blonde hair is in perfect condition. Unlike Lucy, Maggie is not living up to the feminine ideal.
It’s also notable that Maggie is compared to Medusa here as, later in the novel, three different men (Philip, Stephen, and Bob Jakin) will all comment on how entrancing Maggie’s dark eyes are (and it is Medusa’s powerful eyes that draw men toward her).
Related Themes:
Book 3, Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Wakem as a Machine:
When describing the relationship between the lawyer Mr. Wakem and Mr. Tulliver (who was responsible for suing Mr. Wakem’s client), the narrator uses an analogy that contains two related metaphors, as seen in the following passage:
It is still possible to believe that [Mr. Wakem] was not more guilty towards [Mr. Tulliver], than an ingenious machine, which performs its work with much regularity, is guilty towards the rash man who, venturing too near it, is caught up by some fly-wheel or other, and suddenly converted into unexpected mince-meat.
In the first metaphor within this analogy, the narrator compares Mr. Wakem to “an ingenious machine” that “performs its work with much regularity.” Here Eliot is commenting on how lawyers generally must perform a degree of cruelty in order to do their jobs well—in other words, Mr. Wakem is but a cog in a legal machine more interested in winning than in playing fair. His treatment of Mr. Tulliver is not personal—he is simply doing his job.
In the second metaphor, the narrator paints a picture of Mr. Tulliver “venturing too near” the machine and being “converted into unexpected mince-meat.” With this comparison, Eliot shows Mr. Tulliver’s ignorance of the workings of the legal system. He doesn’t understand that he will not be treated as a full person, but as raw material to be churned up and spit out.
Related Themes:
