Simile: Elevator
Dahl writes at the beginning of the novel, "The Elevator shuddered, and then with a fearful whooshing noise it shot vertically up like a rocket" (4). This simile of comparing the Elevator's ascent to a rocket barrelling up into the air helps the reader understand how fast the Elevator is going and to create a sense of apprehension and fear just as Charlie might have. The Elevator's time in outer space is thus a mixture of fun and fright; this also describes almost any dealing with the inscrutable Wonka.
Simile: Inside the Elevator
Once the Elevator is in orbit and gravity is gone, Dahl writes that "the entire company, as well as the bed, were floating around like balloons inside the Great Glass Elevator" (8). The simile of comparing the people to balloons effectively conveys the weightlessness that occurs from losing gravity. Furthermore, it is an amusing image that adds to readers' understanding of Wonka as a delightfully unhinged character.
Simile: The Knid's Eyes
Dahl describes the fearsome Knids in ambiguous ways. The statement that "About three-quarters up, in the widest part, there were two round eyes as big as teacups" (49) almost makes them sound cute, as with the image of them as fat round balls. However, they rapidly reveal their terrifying nature that their big, round eyes belie; Dahl thus keeps readers on their toes.
Simile: Knid
When the Knid reforms itself and shoots at the Elevator, Dahl describes it thusly: "It was like some monstrous bullet coming at them and it came so fast nobody had time to even cry out" (58). The comparison of the Knid with a bullet reinforces the danger of the situation: a terrifying creature is coming at them with the intent to kill, and it will be there as fast as a bullet just shot from a gun.
Metaphor: Taking medicine
Dahl prefers similes to metaphors in this work, but he has one of the latter: Wonka explains to Mrs. Bucket why they need to give the pills of Vita-Wonk all at once by explaining, "If you have a very severe headache and you need three aspirins to cure it, it's no good taking one at a time and waiting four hours between each. You'll never cure yourself that way. You've got to gulp them all down in one go. It's the same with Wonka-Vite." (139). He uses a metaphor of taking aspirin for a headache and how one has to take the pills all at once for them to work as stated. This metaphor isn't too far off from the actual situation at hand, but it helps Mrs. Bucket (and the reader) understand why Wonka needs to administer the pills this way.
