Ever Had that Kind of Day?
In the story “Sometime—Latter—Not Now” the narrator posits an assertion that is pure metaphor in that it is extremely open to interpretation. Within that ambiguous space is a certain universality of truth. Interpretation of the word “atmosphere” is the key to its universality:
“Sometimes, there is a day whose atmosphere you spend the rest of your life trying to recapture.”
The Specific Simile
The power of a simile is in its ability to frame a proper comparison. Sometimes the best route is to go simple and broad; other times the comparison is improved throughout specificity. In this case, the improvement seems pretty clear:
“He turns like a child caught stealing loose change from the bureau and sees that his fellow eavesdropper is Lydia Harmon.”
The Power of Word of Choice
Similes can also live or die by the sword of a one or two quite judiciously chosen words. The psychological connotations of certain words can either intensity or drain the imagery chosen for the point of comparison. Consider the word choices in this example and how the effect might be changed if the italicized words were replaced with less intense synonyms or removed altogether:
“We could all look out and see Loretta being lifted by her family onto her feet, with the cane seat of the broken rocking-chair sticking out like a grotesquely mangled straw-hat”
Complexity
Metaphor generally loses dramatic power and transform into comedy the longer it goes on. This is not a hard-and-fast rule, however:
“It occurred to her to wail, as a child would wail, from the midst of some self-created ruin of shattered glass, or fallen cutlery, but suddenly anger rose in her, the anger of private degradation and the fury of her fallen pride.”
Simplicity
Interestingly, just a page after the complex metaphor of the imagery above, the author chooses to go in the exact opposite direction with a simile that is not just simple, but derives its strength from familiarity whereas the above example seeks to accomplish the reverse.
“He’s as blind as a bat.”
