Read the following passage by Picoult and identify the metaphor. Quote the metaphor in your response and explain what makes it fit the definition of metaphor.

“My mother moves so fast I do not even see it coming. But she slaps my face hard enough to make my head snap backward. She leaves a print that stains me long after it has faded. Just so you know: shame is five-fingered.”

from My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult (pg. 54)

Think about the uses/meanings of these words.

print
stains
shame
five-fingered

Let us know what you think?

"shame is five-fingered.” IS THE METAPHOR..

Yes, and I think the words "print that stains me" is also.

The metaphor in the passage is: "shame is five-fingered." This metaphor compares shame to a hand with five fingers. It fits the definition of a metaphor because it creates a figurative image by directly equating shame to a physical attribute of a hand. The author is not saying that shame actually has five fingers, but rather using this comparison to convey the idea that shame leaves a lasting and impactful mark, much like a handprint. The metaphor helps the reader understand and visualize the intensity and lasting effects of shame on the narrator.