Twisting Like a Lizard
“...my mother’s arms not tearing me apart but trying to hold me, clean my face, or straighten my hair, while I twisted like a lizard to get away from her.” - Narrator (Ch. 1)
This simile adds color to the image of Tomasu trying to escape his mother while she washes him, giving the scene a bit of levity (soon to be juxtaposed against the tragedy of slaughter). The animal imagery makes a commentary about small Tomasu's intellectual capacities and his simple desire not to be handled by a human.
A Roaming Monkey
“He grumbled more often, that I should settle down, stop roaming the mountain like a wild monkey, marry into one of the village families.” - Narrator, Ch. 1
Now that Tomasu is sixteen and growing tall, his stepfather wants him to settle down, marry, and raise a family in their quiet village instead of continuing to "roam the mountain like a wild monkey." This simile, while adding humor to the story, provides the reader with a bit of insight into Tomasu's character before the slaughter of his family: he was mischievous and independent, preferring to roam on his own instead of socializing.
A Ghost Between the Burning Houses
“Slipping like a ghost between the burning houses, I went towards the sound.” - Narrator (Ch. 1)
In this scene, Tomasu has returned to the village to find it a flaming ruin. An ear-splitting scream resounds through the desolated town, and he hesitantly goes to find its source. This particular simile, comparing Tomasu to a ghost, is haunting; in a place in such destruction, ghosts seem to be the only permissible inhabitants. The presence of a living person among the burning houses seems incongruous, so Tomasu's imagery is surprisingly apt.
A Man Hunting Deer
“His eyes were bright, like a man hunting deer.” - Narrator (Ch. 1)
This sentence describes the appearance of Iida Samadu, the leader of the Tohan men who destroyed Tomasu's village. Upon his horse, he makes an intimidating spectacle, and this particular simile reveals an important part of his psychology: he is a sadist and a murderer, and he enjoys hunting people down and killing them - it's a sport to him.
Rain Like a River
“The rain was pouring like a river from the crenellations, from the tiles, from the gutters, from the dolphins that topped every roof as a protection against fire.” - Ch. 2
This sentence, one of the first in the story arc of Kaede, highlights the overwhelming deluge resulting from the heavy rain. A river pouring from the sky is a striking image, and one that likely evokes exactly what Hearn intended. The irony of the fire-protection dolphins swimming in rain is an amusing one as well.
