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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—Like a Vaudeville Team:
After failing to find Ole Andreson at the diner, Max and Al finally leave. When describing the hitmen’s exit, the narrator uses a simile and an allusion:
The two of them went out the door. George watched them, through the window, pass under the arc-light and cross the street. In their tight overcoats and derby hats they looked like a vaudeville team. George went back through the swinging-door into the kitchen and untied Nick and the cook.
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Explanation and Analysis—Like a Photographer:
After Al drags Sam and Nick into the diner's kitchen and ties them up as hostages, he takes charge of George and Max as well, instructing them on where to position themselves in the dining area so as to make the scene appear normal. The narrator captures George’s behavior in this moment using a simile, as seen in the following passage:
Unlock with LitCharts A+He had propped open the slit that dishes passed through into the kitchen with a catsup bottle. “Listen, bright boy,” he said from the kitchen to George. “Stand a little further along the bar. You move a little to the left, Max.” He was like a photographer arranging for a group picture.
Related Themes:
