What is a leech and what double meaning does the word have in this context?

What is a leech and what double meaning does the word have in this context?

• A. A bug that drains blood; a symbol of healing power
• B. A harmless bug
• C. A bug that sucks blood; double meaning is that the doctor sucks the life out of a person
• D. A mythical creature

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that leech works on two levels: literally, a leech is a bloodsucking parasite, and figuratively, it describes someone who drains another person’s life or vitality. In this context, Hawthorne uses the term to describe the physician, who, while appearing to help, exerts a draining, parasitic influence on the patient. The double meaning is that the doctor is supposed to heal, but he ends up draining life from the person he treats. That combination—literal parasite plus metaphor for draining life—makes the option that notes a bloodsucking bug and the idea that the doctor sucks the life out of someone the best fit.

The key idea is that leech works on two levels: literally, a leech is a bloodsucking parasite, and figuratively, it describes someone who drains another person’s life or vitality. In this context, Hawthorne uses the term to describe the physician, who, while appearing to help, exerts a draining, parasitic influence on the patient. The double meaning is that the doctor is supposed to heal, but he ends up draining life from the person he treats. That combination—literal parasite plus metaphor for draining life—makes the option that notes a bloodsucking bug and the idea that the doctor sucks the life out of someone the best fit.