The second cousin to the simile is the metaphor, only in this case, a comparison is made without the word like or as. In a simple metaphor, the two items being compared will be linked with the “to be” verb. Let’s steal an example from O. Henry’s short story called “Transients in Arcadia,” which describes a hotel that is cool and wide and restful located in the metropolis of Manhattan. Let me paraphrase:
The unoccupied tables in the dining room were a snowy wasteland.
Item A + to be verb + item B
The metaphor between the tables and the wasteland calls attention to the vastness of the space, the purity of the white tablecloths, and plenty of privacy and places to sit down. How efficient to use the metaphor! Only O. Henry, master that he is, doesn’t use the “to be” verb to connect the two. Rather, he places the rich, marvelous metaphor of wasteland as the adjective in front of the mention of tables. Enjoy…
During that month you will see the hotel’s reduced array of guests scattered luxuriously about in the cool twilight of its lofty dining-room, gazing at one another across the snowy waste of unoccupied tables, silently congratulatory.
–O. Henry, “Transients in Arcadia”
Snowy wasteland of unoccupied tables
Item B + of + Item A
I’m sorry if I’m melodramatic, but this hidden metaphor is done lightly, barely noticeable, yet in the split second that you read the word “wasteland” the brain knows how to make the dining room large and empty. And further than that, empty of people and relationships.
Let’s share a second example that at first glance appears like a list of idioms. Andrew Peterson in his memoir, ADORNING THE DARK, describes his journey into creative ventures for God. Early in the book he advises us on our creative journeys:
So boil it all down. Chop off the fat. Get rid of the pet lizard…wrench your heart away from all the things you need for your supposed financial security.
This list of figurative phrases builds one large metaphor that means: we should drop all other unnecessary activities that keep us from writing. His message is given in the form of metaphor and idiom, one of the most powerful ways to communicate in the English language. It’s a way to say more with less words.
Let’s take the baton and run with it.
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Back to Writing Tips
Examples of Similes in Adorning the Dark, Part I
Examples of Metaphors in Adorning the Dark, Part II
Move on to Module 5, Research & Presenting Evidence: Backing up our observations with evidence
