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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—Crossing Over:
In "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall," Porter uses both simile and metaphor to trace Granny’s mental disorientation and spiritual transition as death draws near. One vivid example appears late in the story:
Cornelia’s voice staggered and bumped like a cart on a bad road. It rounded corners and turned back again and arrived nowhere. Granny stepped up in the cart very lightly and reached for the reins, but a man sat beside her and she recognized him by his hands, driving. She looked down the road where the trees leaned over and bowed to each other and a thousand birds sang a Mass.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—A Soul Needing Soothing:
Porter uses simile sparingly in "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall," which makes the following moment stand out:
Unlock with LitCharts A+It was like him to drop in and inquire about her soul as if it were a teething baby... Granny felt easy about her soul.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Marching Ghosts:
Porter uses personification and simile to give shape to death’s quiet advance in "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall," allowing the reader to feel its presence as a haunting, natural force. One of the most striking examples appears late in the story, as Granny’s thoughts begin to unravel and her connection to the present fades:
Unlock with LitCharts A+A fog rose over the valley, she saw it marching across the creek swallowing the trees and moving up the hill like an army of ghosts.
Related Themes:
