What does 'as solitary as an oyster' mean from A Christmas Carol?

Answer 1

The Oyster is in its environment normally found on its own . It does not group (shoal) so is solitary. Dickens uses this term to highlight how Scrooge lives his life - a solitary person - this is called a simile which means a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind thus its used to make a description more vivid

Answer 2

In "A Christmas Carol," the phrase "as solitary as an oyster" is used to describe Ebenezer Scrooge as being closed-off, isolated, and uncommunicative. It suggests that he is a lonely and unapproachable person, much like an oyster that keeps to itself in its shell.