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Setting
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 10
Explanation and Analysis—A Beautiful Glossy Nut:
In Chapter 10, during a conversation with Louisa Musgrove, Captain Wentworth uses a simile and compares a person with conviction—a person who is not "yielding"— to a hearty nut:
Let those who would be happy be firm. Here is a nut to exemplify: a beautiful glossy nut, which, blessed with original strength, has outlived all the storms of autumn.
Like the nut, people who hold onto their beliefs can’t be "cracked" and move through life unmoored, with a firmness of resolve. Captain Wentworth continues by personifying the nut, saying:
This nut [...] while so many of his brethren have fallen and been trodden under foot, is still in possession of all the happiness that a hazel nut can be supposed capable of.
The use of a simile and personification of the nut reflects Captain Wentworth's general attitude and stance on persuasion. He believes that in order to be principled, one must be adamant in sticking to one’s beliefs. This idea is explored throughout the novel. Characters either seek the advice of others or attempt to convince others to make certain choices. Early in the novel, for example, Sir Walter Elliot goes to Mr. Shepherd and Lady Russell for financial advice. Lady Russell advises Anne against marrying Captain Wentworth due to his rank, but then—ironically—he turns out to be a more than suitable match. All in all, Persuasion offers commentary on whether it is best to consult and seek the counsel of others or rely on one’s own convictions and desires, and this instance of a simile (that makes use of personification) provides a good snapshot of the novel's focus in this regard.
Related Themes:
Chapter 23
Explanation and Analysis—Scheherazade's Head:
In Chapter 23, the narrator uses an allusion to describe Anne's decision to keep Mr. Elliot's selfish intentions to herself after spending an unpleasant evening with him:
Her faith was plighted, and Mr Elliot's character, like the Sultaness Scheherazade's head, must live another day.
The Sultaness Scheherazade is an allusion to the narrator of the collection of tales One Thousand and One Nights. The Sultaness is married to the Sultan, who—bitter at the infidelity of a past wife—has a habit of marrying a young bride only to behead her the next morning. The Sultaness stays alive by telling a story each evening, promising to finish it the next morning. The Sultan is so entertained that he keeps her alive for 1,001 nights. Austen includes this allusion to dramatize both Mr Elliot's betrayal and the difficult position Anne is in. Although Mrs. Smith has informed Anne of Mr. Elliot's real intentions—to get close to the Elliots in order to prevent Mrs. Clay from marrying into the family—she has yet to tell her family.
The narrator also makes this allusion through the use of a simile, comparing Mr. Elliot's character to Scheherazade's head. This suggests Mr. Elliot's character—his positive reputation in Anne's circle and good standing with Lady Russell in particular—has been "saved," for the moment, from death or destruction.
