What is an example of figurative language in A Christmas Carol?

Keep in mind that figurative language, or
figures of speech, include all similes
and metaphors within the text.  Dickens is known (along
with Shakespeare of course) as one of the great masters of figurative language in
English literature.  Though A Christmas Carol is a shorter story
than his others, figurative language abounds in every
chapter.

In the very opening paragraph, for example, there
is the simile:

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Old Marley was as dead as a
door-nail.

Ironically,
the very next paragraph goes into the literal explanation of this figurative phrase,
which emphasizes its humor and allows Dickens to get away with using a cliche, even with
a modern audience.

The 6th paragraph of the first chapter
is full of similes and metaphors used to describe Scrooge.  Notice the ice and cold
imagery.  Though the sayings tend to sound old-fashioned now, all of them paint a
picture of a cold-hearted and cold-natured man, whose coldness is only made chillier
because the weather is physically cold during Christmas time.  Here are a few
examples:

he
was a tight-fisted hand

Hard and sharp as flint, from which
no steel had ever struck out generous fire;

solitary as an
oyster.

The cold within him froze his old features...made
his eyes red, his thin lips blue and spoke out shrewdly in his grating
voice.

A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows,
and his wiry chin.

he iced his office in the dogdays; and
didn't thaw it one degree at
Christmas.

I see that you are
a teacher.  If you are studying this novel with a class, a fun activity might be to have
students keep a list of similes and metaphors as they read.  You could then use the list
for future classes and create other activities out of it.  Just an idea from one teacher
to another.