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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
Section 6
Explanation and Analysis—In the Cold:
After the Swede and Johnnie get into a fight over a card game—with the Swede accusing Johnnie of cheating—Scully forces them (and the other guests) to take the fight outside into the cold. The narrator takes a moment to describe the stormy scene around the men, using metaphors and a simile in the process:
No snow was falling, but great whirls and clouds of flakes, swept up from the ground by the frantic winds, were streaming southward with the speed of bullets. The covered land was blue with the sheen of an unearthly satin, and there was no other hue save where, at the low, black railway station—which seemed incredibly distant—one light gleamed like a tiny jewel.
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Section 8
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Rooster:
After the Swede wins his fight with Johnnie and flees from the hotel, he ends up at a saloon, channeling his agitated energy into trying to get other patrons to drink with him. The narrator captures the Swede’s aggravated state using a simile, as seen in the following passage:
Unlock with LitCharts A+"Gentlemen," the Swede cried to the men at the table, “have a drink?” […]
The group at the table, although furtively attentive, had been pretending to be deep in talk, but now a man lifted his eyes toward the Swede and said, shortly, “Thanks. We don’t want any more.”
At this reply the Swede ruffled out his chest like a rooster. “Well,” he exploded, “it seems I can’t get anybody to drink with me in this town.”
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