Logs Like Piano Keys (Simile)
The narrator describes the road in front of Pliushkin's house with the following simile: "These logs went up and down like the keys on a piano and anyone riding over them without due care and attention was liable to get either a bump on the back of his head or a blue bruise on his forehead..." By comparing the log road to piano keys, he suggests that it is not well-tended and has a comically uneven terrain.
Joists Like Ribs (Simile)
While describing the roofs of the buildings in Pliushkin's village, the narrator uses the following simile: "Some only had a ridge beam on top and the joists exposed like ribs." This comparison to ribs suggests the bareness of the landscape while also giving the setting a foreboding atmosphere.
Everyday Life (Metaphor)
As Chichikov reflects on meeting Pliushkin, the narrator says it is like he has reencountered everyday life. He describes it in the following way: "life is once again flaunting itself before him in its everyday garb." This metaphor imagines life as a person dressed in "everyday garb" appearing just to disrupt daydreams and lofty ideas. By making this comparison, he suggests that the mundane parts of life have a way of continually asserting themselves.
Like a Defensive Fortress Wall (Simile)
The narrator describes the mountains around Tentetnikov's estate in the following terms: "Like a gigantic defensive fortress wall with ramparts and barbicans, a winding chain of hills extended for well over six hundred miles." He uses the simile of a "fortress wall" to depict the mountains as formidable and large, while also suggesting the security of his estate.
Petukh's Bellows (Metaphor)
When Chichikov has dinner with Petukh and Platonov, Petukh falls asleep and the narrator writes: "His obese person turned into a blacksmith's bellows and began to emit through his open mouth and nostrils sounds that would rarely occur even to a modern composer: a mixture of drum and flute and an intermittent roar like a dog's bark." This metaphor draws a parallel between the sound of his snores and the wheezing of bellows, portraying the sound as comically harsh.
