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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 Fugitives:
Near the beginning of the story, when telling Laura and Nick about his run-ins with Terri’s abusive ex-boyfriend Ed, Mel uses a simile, as seen in the following passage:
“He took this twenty-two pistol he'd bought to threaten Terri and me with. Oh, I'm serious. The man was always threatening. You should have seen the way we lived in those days. Like fugitives. I even bought a gun myself. Can you believe it? A guy like me? But I did, I bought one for self-defense and carried it in the glove compartment.”
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Somewhere Enchanted:
Near the beginning of the story, Nick, in one of his rare narrative asides, describes the scenery outside of Mel and Terri’s kitchen, using imagery and a simile in the process:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Outside in the backyard, one of the dogs began to bark. The leaves of the aspen that leaned past the window ticked against the glass. The afternoon sun was like a presence in this room, the spacious light of ease and generosity. We could have been anywhere, somewhere enchanted. We raised our glasses again and grinned at each other like children who had agreed on something forbidden.
Related Themes:
