The Use of Figurative Language: A Study of Metaphors in Ben Cash’s Dialogues in the “Captain Fantastic” Movie

Abstract

Metaphor is not merely a stylistic feature of language but a cognitive mechanism through which people conceptualize abstract experiences. This study aims to analyze the conceptual metaphors found in Ben Cash's dialogues in Captain Fantastic (2016) by applying Zoltán Kövecses' (2010) Conceptual Metaphor Theory. The research employed a descriptive qualitative method supported by quantitative frequency analysis. The data consisted of Ben Cash's utterances collected from the official movie script and verified through repeated observation of the film. Data were identified, classified, and interpreted based on the conceptual mappings between source domains and target domains, focusing on structural, ontological, and orientational metaphors. The findings reveal 142 conceptual metaphorical expressions, comprising 63 ontological metaphors (44.37%), 56 structural metaphors (39.44%), and 23 orientational metaphors (16.19%). Ontological metaphors were the most dominant, particularly the metaphor society/system is an enemy, indicating ben cash's tendency to conceptualize abstract social realities as tangible threats. structural metaphors such as argument/education is war demonstrate how education is framed as intellectual struggle, while orientational metaphors reinforce ideological distinctions through spatial concepts. These findings support Kövecses' view that conceptual metaphors are grounded in embodied experience and shaped by cultural and contextual influences. The study concludes that Ben Cash employs conceptual metaphors not only as linguistic expressions but also as cognitive and ideological tools to construct, communicate, and sustain his countercultural worldview.