Metaphor

Metaphor refers to a figure of speech in which a word or term is applied to an object or subject which is not literally or technically applicable. There are several examples of metaphor in A Christmas Carol. For example, Dickens uses the physical coldness of the weather as a means of elucidating the bitterness and indignation of Scrooge’s character. The “cold within” Scrooge’s conscious, “froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, blue and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice.” Thus, whilst this coldness within Scrooge is not literal coldness, it nevertheless suggests the sharpness and harshness of his features.