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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—Women as Lychees:
When it comes to traditional Chinese views on marriage, the story compares women to lychees. Mr. Shi, having been raised with these traditional views, applies them to his daughter's situation. The narrator states:
Women in their marriageable twenties and early thirties are like lychees that have been picked from the tree; each passing day makes them less fresh and less desirable, and only too soon will they lose their value, and have to be gotten rid of at a sale price.
Mr. Shi knows enough not to mention the sale price. Still he cannot help but lecture on the fruitfulness of life.
The comparison of women to lychees shows the pressure of marriage for women in Chinese traditional culture, which dictates that women are expected to get married before the age of 30. If they do not, then they are referred to as "leftover women." The lychee comparison holds similar connotations and also reflects how women are objectified. Like lychees, women are assigned a value. But this value only focuses on their appearance and ability to bear children. The narrator and Mr. Shi both expose the sexism that is ingrained in traditional Chinese cultures.
On the other hand, because Mr. Shi has grown up with this belief, lecturing his daughter is his way of caring for her future. Even though his point of view only values a single type of future, it is the one he believes will do her the most good.
Related Themes:
