Tumbling Light (Simile)
"The tumbling light pouring over him like water." (216)
This simile describes Lionel falling asleep in front of the Western movie and the way in which the light from the television screen behaves. The simile compares the light of a television screen, which is something unnatural and man-made, with the natural element of water. By comparing the light to water, the simile suggests how the modern world can quickly surround and immerse someone, and even potentially drown them. This is important for Lionel, who has gotten stuck in a commercialized and unsatisfying life that disconnects him from his identity. Also, because the light comes from a film which presents a narrative about conflict between Indians and people of European descent, the simile suggests how stories and culture are also immersive: people are always surrounded by them and this shapes their worldview and perspective.
Bright Fire (Simile)
"It was as if a bright fire had sprung up in the deep grass." (357)
This simile appears as Coyote and the four elders look out at the sunlight breaking over the prairie landscape. The simile is used to describe the brilliant and dazzling quality of the light, highlighting the beauty of the natural world. The simile is somewhat surprising in that fire is often associated with destruction and danger, and yet here it creates peaceful and beautiful imagery. This suggests that natural forces like fire always have the potential for beauty and regeneration if they are allowed to happen as part of the natural order of things. The fire imagery in the simile also contrasts with the more frequent water imagery used throughout the novel, and suggests the need for order and harmony to be created through balance between different elements.
Land Buckled and Snapped and Rose Around Him (Simile)
"The land buckled and snapped and rose around him like waves." (413)
The simile is used to describe the power and force of the earthquake that takes place at the novel's climax. Solid land is usually assumed to be stable, fixed, and immobile, in contrast to water, which is fluid and unsettled. By suggesting that land can also move, and behave more like water, this simile suggests that things that seem like they can never change may not be as fixed as they seem. The simile connects the earthquake to the water imagery that has been present throughout the novel, linking what might seem like a destructive event to ideas of creation, birth, and regeneration.
Clutched His Hands (Simile)
"He clutched his hands in his lap as if he was praying." (188)
This simile describes Bursum's behavior as he begins to watch his favorite Western movie. The simile highlights how much Bursum loves these fictional narratives by suggesting that he acts like he is engaged in spiritual worship. The simile therefore shows how religion is always connected with the idea of stories, whether those stories are traditional Biblical narratives, or modern Hollywood movies. When people find stories that resonate with them and that they can relate to, they respond by believing in them, and adopting the values they see in those stories. Unfortunately, the story that Bursum worships is one in which white men gain power by violently dominating everyone else.
It Flew Along the Roads (Simile)
"It flew along the roads, floating over the landscape like a bird in flight." (201)
This simile describes the motion of the car Eli and Karen rent to drive out to the reservation when they go to visit for the celebration of the Sundance. On one level, the simile is joyful because it shows how well the car works and how much Eli enjoys driving it. On a deeper level, though, the simile functions to show Eli's disconnection from the natural world and his confinement in an urban world. He confuses the man-made, technological experience of driving a car with the free and natural movement of a bird in flight. Part of why Eli also finds the motion so enjoyable is because he is on the Prairies, in a wide-open space, and not trapped in a city any longer.
