Previous
Setting
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
Book 3, Chapter 12
Explanation and Analysis—Deer-like Death:
Book 3, Chapter 12 deploys a simile to help the reader imagine the experience of death. Though she lies dying on her bed, Yangjin dreams of quite the opposite:
Strangely, as Yangjin’s limbs and joints quit, one after the other, and as her muscles softened into jelly, her mind felt clearer and more free. She could imagine leaving her body to run swiftly like a deer. Yet in life, she could hardly move at all; she could barely eat anything recognizable as food.
Related Themes:
Book 3, Chapter 13
Explanation and Analysis—Crushed Butterfly:
Koh Hansu’s apparent kindness has its limits, and he shows them during Yangjin’s funeral in Book 3, Chapter 13. As Noriko (one of his mistresses) pulls up outside the church and begs to go shopping, Hansu reaches through the car and slaps her until she bleeds:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The girl was still alive. She sat crumpled and half-awake in the corner of the expansive backseat like a crushed butterfly.
Related Themes:
Book 3, Chapter 21
Explanation and Analysis—Sea Glass:
As she visits Isak’s grave in Pachinko’s final chapter, Sunja’s thoughts circle back to her dead firstborn. Book 3, Chapter 21 finishes with a vivid, resonant simile:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Sorry, Noa, sorry. It had been eleven years since he’d died; the pain didn’t go away, but its sharp edge had dulled and softened like sea glass.
Related Themes:
