Like a Fortress (Simile)
The narrator describes Hanging Rock from a distance: “Directly ahead, the grey volcanic mass rose up slabbed and pinnacled like a fortress from the empty yellow plain.” The simile comparing the rocks to a "fortress" captures the formation's imposing stature and eerie atmosphere.
Like a Flock of Excited Butterflies (Simile)
At the beginning of the novel, the students at Appleyard excitedly walk to the picnic grounds: “The boarders at Mrs Appleyard’s College for Young Ladies had been up and scanning the bright unclouded sky since six o’clock and were now fluttering about in their holiday muslins like a flock of excited butterflies.” This comparison to butterflies suggests the beauty of the scene and more specifically the unique "fluttering" motion of their muslin.
Like a Slab of Cold Grey Stone (Simile)
Towards the end of the novel, Mike looks out on the lake near his house: “From the dining-room window he looked out for the last time at the little lake, still in deep shadow, like a slab of cold grey stone.” This simile serves to highlight how his time at Macedon is coming to a close, as the lake now reminds him of the "cold stone" of a grave.
Like a Wild Animal (Simile)
In his testimony to the police, Mr. Whitestone says that Mrs. Appleyard did the following when she learned of Sara's death: “She let out a sort of smothered scream, more like a wild animal than a human being.” In a frightening fashion, this simile characterizes the primal nature of the screaming sound she makes, while also implying there is something supernatural, or prehistoric, occurring at the school.
Web of Silence (Metaphor)
The following scene occurs as the girls walk to the rocks: “Marion was the first to break through the web of silence. ‘Those peaks . . . they must be a million years old.'” This metaphor works to describe the soft period of silence that descends on the girls as they walk. Marion is said to "break through" it, as she offers a comment that will cause them to resume talking.
