The word "iron" in literature serves both as a literal material and as a potent symbol for strength, perseverance, and sometimes oppression. In many narratives, iron is depicted in its physical form—as a durable chain binding sails ([1]), the hull of a ship ([2]), or heavy doors protecting secrets ([3])—underscoring its role in constructing and restraining the world. At the same time, authors deploy "iron" metaphorically to evoke qualities of resilience, authority, and firmness; for instance, a visage of iron in character description ([4]) or the crushing weight of an iron yoke ([5]) illustrates unyielding power and the rigidity of fate. This dual usage is further enriched by idiomatic expressions such as "strike while the iron is hot" ([6], [7]), which emphasize the need for timely bold action. Thus, "iron" becomes a multifaceted literary tool that resonates with both material strength and symbolic significance.
- “So the Miller tied the sails of the windmill together with a strong iron chain, and went down the hill with the basket on his arm.
— from The Happy Prince, and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde
- "And I shall still have the iron hull," said the captain in a softer tone.
— from Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
- The door, of massive iron, had been, also, similarly protected.
— from The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
- He was decently and cleanly dressed, and so was Job, who stood bolt upright behind him, staring at Mr. Pickwick with a visage of iron.
— from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
- If the acquisition of power in the shape of wealth caused this alteration, that power should they feel as an iron yoke.
— from The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
- Strike whilst the iron is hot.
— from A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs
- Strike while the iron is hot.
— from A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs