Well done for identifying this excellent example of an
implied metaphor, where the movements of Simon Wheeler are clearly being compared to
some form of wall or large object that prevents escape. Let us have a look at the
passage in context to fully appreciate the humour of the
situation:
Simon Wheeler backed me into a corner and
blockaded me there with his chair and then sat me down and reeled off the monotonous
narrative which follows this
paragraph.
We can see that
the implied metaphor uses exaggeration for humorous effect, as Simon Wheeler seems to be
compared to something like a tank or a military unit that blockades the narrator in to
the corner so he cannot get away. Then we have an example of irony when he describes the
tale he is told as a "monotonous narrative," as it is highly unlikely that Twain would
be telling us this story if it was boring. The humour of course is developed through the
course of the story and then when Simon Wheeler is called away and the narrator makes a
quick getaway, not wanting to be penned in again!
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