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Simile
Explanation and Analysis—The Lake :
As Amir flashes back to an idyllic childhood picnic with Baba, Hosseini uses visual imagery and a simile to show how fondly Amir remembers the moment:
We sat at a picnic table on the banks of the lake, just Baba and me, eating boiled eggs with kofta sandwiches—meatballs and pickles wrapped in naan. The water was a deep blue and sunlight glittered on its looking glass–clear surface. On Fridays, the lake was bustling with families out for a day in the sun.
The visual imagery describing the “deep blue” lake water and the “glittering” sunlight paints a very sensory scene for Hosseini’s reader. It’s one of the few memories Amir has where he feels like he and Baba were a family like all the others “out for a day in the sun.” The memory feels full of life and warmth because Amir’s mind clings to every detail to keep it alive. The way he describes the sunlight “glittering” on the water adds a dreamlike quality to the flashback.
The other simile—comparing the lake’s surface to a looking glass— adds to this fairy-tale, dreamy vision. In Amir’s memory the water is perfectly still and calm, like a mirror reflecting his perfect day. In contrast to the insecurity and anxiety that shapes much of his relationship with Baba, this moment is a rare instance of peace and happiness.
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