Metaphor or Literal?
A metaphor is a direct comparison lacking the “as” or “like” required by a simile. Sometimes metaphors are not immediately obvious. For instance, the following example is a direct comparison and so fits the requirement of metaphor, but it may not appear to be one because it may seem like a simple literal statement. And, in fact, it may be; readers can decide on their own if Vonnegut meant this to be metaphor or literal:
“Mary had also taught that the human brain was the most admirable survival device yet produced by evolution.”
Simple Simile
Confusion over whether something is a simile or a literal statement is usually much easier thanks to the use of “like” as a means of comparison. Here, for instance, it is not even necessary to know the missing information of “what” dives likes a submarine. What is quite clear is that whatever it may be, the one thing we can rest assured it isn’t is an actual submarine.
“Then it dives like a submarine, and stuffs itself with seaweed, which is at that time indigestible.”
The Not-So-Simple Simile
Then there are cases like the following. Although it is easy enough to spot the simile in this sentence, even with the entire sentence intact, it would take a fairly advanced mind to figure out just exactly what the author is trying to get at here. This is a case in which the use of simple simile becomes complex because it is so dependent upon the context of the surrounding content.
“In view of how badly the Colombianos had treated the cow, Major Ricardo Cortez, flying faster than sound, might be seen as a virtuous knight as in days of yore.”
Familiarity Breeds Metaphorical Power
Metaphors are weird: the more creative they are, the less effective they can be. Some writer are capable of spinning out metaphors that would make your head explode if you understood the ten dollars words he was using, but who’s got a hundred bucks to spend on a sentence, right? Sometimes a writer even as creative and imaginative as Vonnegut decides to go for the familiar because, after all, not every character is a genius:
“But their survival wouldn't have amounted to a hill of beans, as far as evolution was concerned”
The Power of the Unfamiliar
Few will question that Vonnegut is one of the more creative literary figures of the 20th century. Of course, creativity doesn’t necessarily equal popularity. Vonnegut’s way with words is the fodder for both haters and lovers. If you enjoy the following flight of fanciful metaphor, you will like enjoy reading Vonnegut’s work. If not, perhaps look elsewhere:
“So that the ship was now married to the South American mainland by a single line at her stern. Poetically speaking, that stern line is the white nylon umbilical cord of all modern humankind.”
