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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
Key Examples in The Pedestrian
Similes
Explanation and Analysis—Alone with Cigar Smoke:
Near the beginning of the story, when introducing readers to Mead—and his love of walking—the narrator uses a hyperbole and a simile, as seen in the following passage:
He would stand upon the corner of an intersection and peer down long moonlit avenues of sidewalk in four directions, deciding which way to go, but it really made no difference; he was alone in this world of A.D. 2053, or as good as alone, and with a final decision made, a path selected, he would stride off, sending patterns of frosty air before him like the smoke of a cigar.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Like an Insect:
During his evening walk through his neighborhood, Mead is stopped by an automated police car that shines a bright light on him, illuminating him in the dark November night. At the beginning of this interaction, the narrator uses a simile to compare Mead to a moth, as seen in the following passage:
Unlock with LitCharts A+He was within a block of his destination when the lone car turned a corner quite suddenly and flashed a fierce white cone of light upon him. He stood entranced, not unlike a night moth, stunned by the illumination, and then drawn toward it.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Christmas Tree:
When describing the way that the cold air feels in Mead’s lungs as he walks through his neighborhood on a cold November night, the narrator uses a simile, as seen in the following passage:
Unlock with LitCharts A+There was a good crystal frost in the air; it cut the nose and made the lungs blaze like a Christmas tree inside; you could feel the cold light going on and off, all the branches filled with invisible snow.
Related Themes:
