The smell of the house
Having been uninhabited for some time, the little house that the narrator and his family visit is said to have smelled funny. The writer compares the smell of the house to that of dust as well as old cooking. In this way, the conceptualization of the house's uninhabited state is made apparent. The narrator states: "I still remember that it smelled funny, like dust and old cooking."
Security
The ecstasy and bliss associated with financial security are made all the more apparent and emphasized via a simile. The narrator compares this feeling to heaven, which makes the idea of bliss explicit.
The writer notes: "I still kept cash in a white sock tucked in the back of a drawer, but now I knew I had enough to get me through each term. I had a taste of security, and it felt like heaven."
A water balloon
Having been heavily pregnant on the occasion of her graduation, the writer enhances her image by likening herself to a massive water balloon. She notes: "I was eight months pregnant, and I felt like an enormous water balloon that might roll off my folding chair and explode on the ground." This simile facilitates the conception of the delicateness of the writer at the time of her pregnancy.
The bankruptcy bill
The writer presents her ideologies on the negative aspect of how the industry-supported bankruptcy bill would worsen the lives of families in trouble. She employs a simile in which she expresses her disapproval for the same by linking its smell to a manure pile.
She notes: "In so many ways, the industry-supported bankruptcy bill would make life worse for families in trouble. It stunk like a pile of manure."
The financial crisis
A simile expresses how the financial crisis was pummeling the country in November 2008. The unceasing nature of the financial crisis's effects is made apparent via the comparison to a storm gathering strength with each passing day.
The writer notes: "It was early evening on Thursday, November 13, 2008, and the financial crisis was battering the country like a storm whose winds gathered strength every day."
