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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—Limp Handshake:
When describing the way that Dee’s partner Hakim-a-barber (who Mama jokingly refers to as “Asalamalakim”) greets Maggie, Mama uses a simile:
Meanwhile Asalamalakim is going through motions with Maggie’s hand. Maggie’s hand is as limp as a fish, and probably as cold, despite the sweat, and she keeps trying to pull it back. It looks like Asalamalakim wants to shake hands but wants to do it fancy. Or maybe he don’t know how people shake hands. Anyhow, he soon gives up on Maggie.
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Explanation and Analysis—Like an Uncooked Pancake:
Near the beginning of the story, Mama fantasizes about reuniting with her daughter Dee on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, shifting between describing the imaginary scene and sharing details about her real life. At one point in this process, she uses a simile,
Unlock with LitCharts A+In real life I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day. I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man […] But of course all this does not show on television. I am the way my daughter would want me to be: a hundred pounds lighter, my skin like an uncooked barley pancake.
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Explanation and Analysis—Dee’s Hair:
When Dee arrives back home in rural Georgia for a visit, Mama and Maggie are surprised by her appearance. When capturing hers and Maggie’s response to Dee’s hair, Mama (the narrator) uses a series of similes, as seen in the following passage:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I hear Maggie go “Uhnnnh” again. It is her sister’s hair. It stands straight up like the wool on a sheep. It is black as night and around the edges are two long pigtails that rope about like small lizards disappearing behind her ears.
Related Themes:
