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Definition of Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like" or "as," but can also... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often... read full definition
Similes
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Warm Soil:
About halfway through the story, the narrator communicates the deepening intimacy of Duffy and Mrs. Sinico’s relationship using a simile, as seen in the following passage:
[Mrs. Sinico’s] companionship was like a warm soil about an exotic. Many times she allowed the dark to fall upon them, refraining from lighting the lamp. The dark discreet room, their isolation, the music that still vibrated in their ears united them. This union exalted him, wore away the rough edges of his character, emotionalised his mental life.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Worm-Like Train:
Near the end of the story, as Duffy is finally feeling his grief over Mrs. Sinico’s death, he takes a walk and notices a train passing by. Here, the narrator uses a simile, comparing the train to a worm, as seen in the following passage:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Beyond the river he saw a goods train winding out of Kingsbridge Station, like a worm with a fiery head winding through the darkness, obstinately and laboriously. It passed slowly out of sight; but still he heard in his ears the laborious drone of the engine reiterating the syllables of her name.
Related Themes:
