Metonymy

A metonymy is defined as a figure of speech in which a person, place, or thing is referred to by something closely associated with it. In the chapter The Dentist, I found what I believe to fall under this literary term. The line goes "...and the young captain's main concern seemed to be the clock." I almost did not even recognize this as a metonymy because it is so commonly used. After another quick glance through the chapter in an attempt to find a literary term, it clicked.The last word "clock" refers to the time. In this specific circumstance, it is how long the captain had spent fixing each soldier's teeth. A clock is understandably closely associated with time because a clock tells time. This substitution is often used even now as another form of saying "check the time."