Figurative language refers to the use of words, phrases and sentences in an unconventional and non-literal manner. Authors often employ figurative language to make unfamiliar objects, settings and situations more relatable. Short stories, in particular, rely heavily on figurative language -- such as similes, metaphors, hyperbole, and personification -- to make the characters and storylines come alive in the reader’s mind.
Figurative Language Creates Mood
Figurative language can affect the mood of a short story. The term mood refers to the atmosphere that envelopes the reader and evokes certain feelings. While novelists are able to expound for pages to create the mood, a short story writer’s parameters are significantly condensed. Figurative language is used to draw the reader into the story quickly. For example, Edgar Allan Poe utilizes the simile "His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness" to construct a dreadful and eerie mood in his short story "The Tell-Tale Heart."
Figurative Language Develops Characterization
Figurative language can enhance characterization in a short story. Characterization refers to how the author chooses to reveal a character’s personality, virtues and faults. Short story writers often use similes and metaphors to reveal more about their characters in fewer words. For example, in Richard Connell’s "The Most Dangerous Game," Ivan, the large bodyguard to General Zaroff, is described as "a gigantic creature." This hyperbole reveals Ivan’s large stature and force, but it is also reflective of his actions in the story, as Ivan is less human and more animalistic in nature.
Figurative Language Advances the Plot
Figurative language can advance the plot of a short story. Figurative language can slow the pace of the plot through lengthy descriptions and comparisons to encourage a more philosophical approach, or it can be used to create suspense and drive the storyline. For example, at the end of "The Most Dangerous Game," when confronted by General Zaroff for the final time, Rainsford responds, "I am still a beast at bay." This metaphor emphasizes the emotional state of Rainsford and foreshadows one last battle.
Figurative Language Enhances Everyday Language
Figurative language can elevate ordinary, everyday language. Much like figurative language enhances common language, the use of metaphors, similes and imagery adds to the reader’s experience. By utilizing figurative language, an author draws his reader into the story world he has created and encourages the reader to be an active participant -- to feel what the characters feel, to see what they see. For example, in James Thurber’s "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," the opening paragraph, which depicts Mitty as the hero in one of his many fantastical escapes from mundane reality, describes the Commander’s voice "like thin ice breaking." Rather than merely including dialogue, the use of a simile provides the reader with a more complete picture of the scene.
- National Council of Teachers of English: Figurative Language
- Northeast Alabama Community College Writing Center: How to Write a Literary Analysis
- Chippewa Valley Schools: Figurative Language and Plot Devices: The Most Dangerous Game
- Roane State Community College Online Writing Lab: Literary Analysis: Using Elements of Literature
- Photodisc/Photodisc/Getty Images