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Simile
Explanation and Analysis—Buried Treasure:
After he “reads” to his friend, Amir feels thrilled that Hassan prefers his made-up story over the ones from his favorite book. Hosseini uses two similes to show Amir’s intense excitement and sense of his future unfolding after this happens:
Fascinating, I repeated, a little breathless, feeling like a man who discovers a buried treasure in his own backyard. Walking down the hill, thoughts were exploding in my head like the fireworks at Chaman. Best story you’ve read me in a long time, he’d said. I had read him a lot of stories.
The first simile in this passage compares Amir to a man who finds treasure in his own backyard. Just like someone who stumbles across unexpected riches on their own property, Amir realizes that his ability to tell stories is a valuable talent. The fact that Hassan liked the story better than the ones from his favorite book plants the first seeds of confidence about his talent. It gives him a rare, private sense of accomplishment. This accomplishment feels even more special because it comes from Hassan’s innocent praise. He knows Hassan means what he says because the other boy has no idea the story was Amir’s.
The second simile compares his thoughts to exploding fireworks, which shows how quickly and overwhelmingly Amir’s excitement grows after Hassan’s praise. The image of fireworks suggests a riot of bright lights and chaotic noises, which reflects the cacophony happening in his brain. This compliment means more to him than any other he has ever received.
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