Forest like a Prison (Simile)
A while after the vagabond slips off the main road and into the forest, he finds himself lost. Lagerlöf writes, "the whole forest, with its trunks and branches, its thickets and fallen logs, closed in upon him like an impenetrable prison from which he could never escape" (67). This simile demonstrates the vagabond's feelings of being trapped in a prison of his own making. Where he was sheltered and warm the night before, his actions have now landed him lost in a freezing wood with no sense of direction. The prison simile functions similarly to the rat-trap allegory to demonstrate the feeling of having been ensnared, but it differs in the way that the prison simile draws on the imagery of the forest and "its trunks and branches" to conjure the architecture of an actual prison.
The Lions' Den (Simile)
When the vagabond finds himself being pressured to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the Willmanssons, he's flooded with anxiety. Lagerlöf writes that "to go up to the manor house would be like throwing himself voluntarily into the lions’ den" (69). This simile simply demonstrates the grave fear the vagabond feels at the prospect of being found out for his crimes. The simile also underscores the sense of alienation the vagabond feels from other people. He feels as if other people are literally a different species, and that he is constantly in danger of becoming their prey.
Bait (Simile)
In an interesting and seemingly conflicting statement in his note, the vagabond renounces his theft while also maintaining that the kronor by the front door of the crofter's cottage are, in fact, bait. He writes, "you can give back the money to the old man on the roadside, who has the money pouch hanging on the window frame as a bait for poor wanderers" (74). So, while the vagabond (and by extension, Lagerlöf) recognizes that he has been transformed by their kindness, he also maintains that poverty robs people of agency when it comes to trying to meet their basic needs. The allure of the money on the door is still strong, despite the fact that he's been compelled by other people's kindness to return it.
