Grub Street - A Metaphor
The novel’s title can be regarded as a metaphor, for Grub Street does not indicate the street itself, but rather signifies the literary degeneracy communicated through such a pejorative term. Thus, the lives of literary characters in the book are compared to Grub Street.
Milvain the Brute – a Metaphor
Following Biffen’s suicide, Marian and Jasper converse about the event and the girl tells him, “You are better fitted to fight your way Jasper” to which he answers, “More of a brute you mean”. This is a metaphor, for Jasper compares himself to a brute without the express use of “as” or “like”.
The Current – A Metaphor
“She read few lines then threw the thing on the table.” This is a metaphor in which The Current, which is the newspaper for which Jasper Milvain writes, is compared and referred to as a thing without any expressive use of such words as “like”.
Biffen – A Simile
“She viewed him as a poor devil who often had to pawn his coat – a man of parts who would never get on in the world – a friend to be thought of kindly because her dead husband had valued him.” This is a simile which compares Harold Biffen to a number of different things by means of “as” which is a language construct used to establish equivalency.
Reardon – A simile
“He went about like one dazzled with excessive light.” This is a simile; a figure of speech comparing Edwin Reardon to a man dazzled by light through the use of the language construct “like”.
Alfred Yule – A Simile
“Can I ever forget that evening when I spoke like a brute…” This is a simile in which Alfred Yule compares himself to a brute by means of the word “like”.
