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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
Similes
Explanation and Analysis—Raymond at the Fence:
During the big May Day race, Raymond runs alongside the girls on the other side of the track’s fence. When capturing the way that Raymond tries to get Squeaky’s attention after the race ends, Squeaky uses a pair of similes, as seen in the following passage:
I can hear old Beanstalk arguing with the man on the loudspeaker and then a few others running their mouths about what the stopwatches say. Then I hear Raymond yanking at the fence to call me and I wave to shush him, but he keeps rattling the fence like a gorilla in a cage like in them gorilla movies, but then like a dancer or something he starts climbing up nice and easy but very fast.
The first simile here—in which Squeaky describes Raymond as “rattling the fence like a gorilla in a cage like in them gorilla movies”—communicates the intensity with which Raymond is trying to get Squeaky’s attention. It also captures something important about the ways that cognitively impaired people are dehumanized and ostracized by society—in many ways, people in the story have treated Raymond like he was a caged animal undeserving of respect.
The second simile—in which Squeaky describes Raymond as moving “like a dancer” when he starts climbing the fence—helps readers understand that Raymond is very much not an animal, but someone who moves with the grace and agility of a professional dancer. This moment shows how Squeaky is starting to see Raymond for the athlete that he is after years of only thinking of herself as one. This is an important part of Squeaky’s character arc, as she goes from seeing herself as Raymond’s begrudging caretaker with her own goals to someone who can support Raymond in achieving his goals and potential.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Rodeo Pony:
Near the beginning of the story, Squeaky, as narrator, explains her relationship to running, using a simile in the process:
Now some people like to act like things come easy to them, won’t let on that they practice. Not me. I’ll highprance down 34th Street like a rodeo pony to keep my knees strong even if it does get my mother uptight so that she walks ahead like she’s not with me, don’t know me, is all by herself on a shopping trip, and I am somebody else’s crazy child.
Here, Squeaky uses a simile when describing how she “highprance[s] down 34th Street like a rodeo pony” in an effort to strengthen her knees and therefore make her a better runner. This description helps readers to understand how seriously she takes her running practice, which in turn helps them understand the stakes of the big May Day race later in the story.
This passage is also notable because it captures how ashamed Squeaky’s mom is of her daughter. She is so embarrassed by her daughter's pony-like movements that she walks ahead of Squeaky, hoping that people will think that Squeaky is “somebody else’s crazy child.” This is one of several moments in which Squeaky’s mom indirectly suggests that Squeaky should follow the social and gender norms expected of her as a little girl, such as behaving “normally” while walking around town.
Related Themes:
