"Anne-Marion Coles, who seemed to [Meridian] as sharp and bright as a blade of sunlight" (Simile)
Anne-Marion is Meridian’s best friend throughout college, a bold, free-thinking girl who is determined to fight for civil rights. Her vivacious nature and constant energy make her as bright as sunlight. But Anne-Marion is also sharp as a “blade” in several senses of the word: intelligent, able to separate her feelings from her actions, and ultimately able to stop speaking to Meridian except through letters.
"The music rose like marching souls toward the vaulted ceiling of the chapel" (Simile)
Music is a powerful symbol of the civil rights movement. In this simile, Walker compares music produced by a black organist to “marching souls”; the word marching is reminiscent of the protests that characterized the civil rights movement, in which black men and women gathered to walk together and unite their voices in song. The music is powerful and rises higher and higher, toward the “vaulted ceiling,” just as the civil rights movement advanced steadily further toward their far-off goal of complete equality.
"[Meridian's] mother, her body as stately as the prow of a ship" (Simile)
Meridian’s mother is often depicted as a formidable presence: she is someone who makes Meridian feel guilty and ashamed of herself for not living up to her mother’s expectations. This simile compares Meridian’s mother to the prow of a ship. It uses an image of strength to describe her body, when, throughout the book, the bodies of black women are often objectified by men. The simile aptly captures the fear and respect that Meridian has for her mother, who has had a difficult life and comes from a long line of strong black women.
"Thoughts that began twisting like snakes in [Truman's] brain" (Simile)
Walker uses this simile to describe Truman’s changing attitudes about his wife after seeds are planted in his mind about relationships between black men and white women. Although Truman was previously happy in his relationship with Lynne, despite the many hardships that the interracial relationship faced, he begins to have doubts about Lynne’s true feelings for him when his friends insinuate that she only likes him because she feels guilty about being white or because she wants to try something new. These insidious thoughts twist like dangerous snakes, eventually leading to the end of their relationship.
"Sweat, like glowing diamonds, fell from his head" (Simile)
This simile is used to describe the mural “B.B., With Sword” that is hung in the revolutionary-minded black church that Meridian visits. The sweat that drips from the black man’s head shows that he is hard at work, using his strength to wield his bloody sword high in the air. Walker creates an effect of both power and beauty by comparing this sweat to a feminine image of “glowing diamonds.” The simile effectively describes the mural and the man depicted in it as vibrant, full of life, colorful, powerful, and dangerous.
