The Californian’s Tale
by Mark Twain

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The Californian’s Tale: Similes 1 key example

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

Key Examples in The Californian’s Tale

Similes
Explanation and Analysis—Finishing Pats:

As Henry shows the narrator around his cottage, he explains with pride that his wife is responsible for the tidy, well-decorated nature of the house. At one point, Henry adjusts a picture frame, using a simile to describe his wife’s relationship to such adjustments:

Then [Henry] gave it a light finishing pat or two with his hand, and said: “She always does that. You can’t tell just what it lacks, but it does lack something until you’ve done that—you can see it yourself after it’s done, but that is all you know; you can’t find out the law of it. It’s like the finishing pats a mother gives the child’s hair after she’s got it combed and brushed, I reckon.”