As If He Had Been Struck By Lightning (Simile)
What begins as the routine shaping of a table leg becomes a puzzling living nightmare for Master Cherry when his wood speaks and complains about being carved. The first time the wood speaks, Cherry dismisses the odd occurrence, but when the wood laughs and claims that the plane tickles, Cherry "[falls] down as if he had been struck by lightning." In this simile, Collodi highlights the overwhelming emotional and psychological shock Cherry experiences by comparing it to a physical lightning strike.
Running Like a Racehorse (Simile)
As soon as Geppetto finishes carving Pinocchio's feet, the puppet makes an escape, running from his house and through the town. Geppetto goes after him, hoping someone will stop his mischievous puppet, but "the people in the street, seeing a wooden puppet running like a racehorse, [stand] still in astonishment to look at it." In this simile, Collodi emphasizes the absurdity of the sight by likening Pinocchio's incredible speed to that of a racehorse.
Like a Dog After Game (Simile)
While Geppetto is in prison, Pinocchio spends the night agonizing with hunger. After finding nothing to eat at home, he dashes for the village to beg for food. Collodi writes that he reaches the village "in a hundred bounds, with his tongue hanging out and panting for breath like a dog after game." In this simile, Collodi highlights Pinocchio's ravenous desperation for food by comparing him to a dog chasing a wild animal.
Fine Slices of Your Pride (Metaphor)
Out in the ocean, Pinocchio comes upon an island that features a village full of hardworking people. He attempts to beg passersby for money or food, but the villagers will only pay him in exchange for his labor. To one man who asks him to pull a cart, Pinocchio says he isn't able to do the work of a donkey. The man replies, "Then, my boy, if you are really dying of hunger, eat two fine slices of your pride, and be careful not to get indigestion." In this metaphor, the man points out Pinocchio's hypocrisy by telling him to eat the pride—as though is a physical thing—he is trying to maintain despite his supposed desperation.
Smooth As Oil (Simile)
Toward the end of the novel, Pinocchio discovers his papa living in the belly of a giant dogfish. Although Geppetto cannot swim, Pinocchio leads him out of the dogfish's open mouth to make an escape. The sea outside is "smooth as oil," a simile Collodi uses to emphasize the calmness of the waters Pinocchio and Geppetto swim into as they seek safety.
