The Man Who Was Thursday

by G. K. Chesterton

The Man Who Was Thursday: 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
Chapter 14: The Six Philosophers
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Balloon:

In the quote below, Dr. Bull uses two similes to refer to Sunday, as he and the other detectives make their strange journey chasing after him:

“I’ve got it now,” cried Bull, “it was because he was so fat and so light. Just like a balloon. We always think of fat people as heavy, but he could have danced against a sylph. I see now what I mean. Moderate strength is shown in violence, supreme strength is shown in levity. It was like the old speculations—what would happen if an elephant could leap up in the sky like a grasshopper?” 

“Our elephant,” said Syme, looking upwards, “has leapt into the sky like a grasshopper.”