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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
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Little Ape:
In Chapter 3, Hazel pays a second visit to Leora Watts. Feeling uneasy and vulnerable in her presence, he walks around the room looking at things while she watches him. O'Connor uses a simile and personfication to evoke his state of mind:
She rested her chin on her hand and watched him. He began to move around the room, examining this and that. His throat got dryer and his heart began to grip him like a little ape clutching the bars of its cage.
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Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Trees and Cloud:
In Chapters 5 and 7, O'Connor uses simile and personification to describe the natural surroundings. Bringing a liveliness and poetic quality to each of the chapters, these descriptions can be read as a lighthearted counterbalance to the otherwise tense dialogue and atmosphere. On the other hand, the personification can also be read as an expression of the characters' paranoia. Neither Hazel nor Enoch seem to trust or even like other people very much, so finding human-like qualities in trees and clouds could indicate that they see even elements of nature as adversaries.
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Related Themes:
Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Trees and Cloud:
In Chapters 5 and 7, O'Connor uses simile and personification to describe the natural surroundings. Bringing a liveliness and poetic quality to each of the chapters, these descriptions can be read as a lighthearted counterbalance to the otherwise tense dialogue and atmosphere. On the other hand, the personification can also be read as an expression of the characters' paranoia. Neither Hazel nor Enoch seem to trust or even like other people very much, so finding human-like qualities in trees and clouds could indicate that they see even elements of nature as adversaries.
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Chapter 14
Explanation and Analysis—Switchbox vs Tunnel:
The narration of Chapter 14 is focalized through the perspective of the landlady, Mrs. Flood. Throughout the chapter, she studies Hazel, trying to figure out how he operates and how he thinks. About halfway through the chapter, O'Connor uses a similes to contrast Mrs. Flood's way of thinking from that of Hazel:
Unlock with LitCharts A+She thought of her own head as a switchbox where she controlled from; but with him, she could only imagine the outside in, the whole black world in his head and his head bigger than the world, his head big enough to include the sky and planets and whatever was or had been or would be.
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