The setting sun
The appearance of the setting sun in the country that Chanda misses is brought out via a simile. The concept of the sun sinking in the horizon is directly compared to a giant flaming orange. The image of the setting sun is thus enhanced through the use of the simile: “I also missed the country and the big sky: the way the sun grew fat when it went to bed, sinking below the horizon like a giant flaming orange…”
The sound of water flashed down the toilet
As Esther flushes the toilet, the narrator compares the sound that the water makes as it is flushed down the drain to the roar of a giant waterfall. The narrator notes: “There was a roar like a giant waterfall. I screamed.” The simile thus enhances a deeper understanding of the intensity of the sound of the water as it is flushed.
"...she drops like a stone"
The shock that results from pain When Mama’s miracle comes to an end and she drops like a stone is perceivable. The use of this comparison enhances the reader’s perception of the woman’s shock and pain as it drives her to fall. The narrator notes: “Mama sucks in her breath and grabs for a chair, her face frozen in pain. For a second she stands suspended. Then, she drops like a stone.”
Jonah’s bandanna
Chanda describes the appearance of Jonah’s bandanna now stripped and hanging around his neck to a noose. The comparison facilitates its imagery around Jonah’s neck. The narrator notes: “His striped bandanna has slipped from his forehead. It hangs around his neck like a noose.”
The joy of Chanda’s dream
Chanda dreams of her mom and her laughter. She becomes overcome with joy and happiness and uses a simile to compare the flickering of this joy within her to the glow of fireflies. The simile enhances imagery: “The joy of my dream flickers inside me like fireflies.”
