Previous
Setting
Definition of Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like" or "as," but can also... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often... read full definition
Chapter 4 - The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill
Explanation and Analysis—Serpents and Skyrockets:
Similes help the reader visualize the many fantastical scenes in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Carroll uses them to make sense of otherwise crazy occurrences. For example, in Chapter 4, Alice encounters a lizard named Bill:
Well I hardly know—No more, thank ye; I’m better now—but I’m a deal too flustered to tell you—all I know is, something comes at me like a Jack-in-the-box, and up I go like a sky rocket!”
Here, Bill the lizard talks about crawling through the chimney to investigate the White Rabbit’s cottage. He describes the smoke and fire as being like a Jack-in-the-box that springs up quickly and makes him go up "like a skyrocket." These similes create a humorous picture and help the reader imagine an otherwise unimaginably crazy scenario.
In Chapter 5, when Alice tries to change her size in the presence of the Caterpillar, she discovers a new ability:
As there seemed to be no chance of getting her hands up to her head, she tried to get her head down to them, and was delighted to find that her neck would bend about easily in any direction, like a serpent.
This simile compares Alice's movement to that of a serpent. One can imagine her neck bending and curving like a snake's; the image created by this phrase is quite creepy. However, nothing is as it seems in Wonderland, and Alice is delighted at the utility of such flexibility.
Related Themes:
Chapter 5 - Advice from a Caterpillar
Explanation and Analysis—Serpents and Skyrockets:
Similes help the reader visualize the many fantastical scenes in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Carroll uses them to make sense of otherwise crazy occurrences. For example, in Chapter 4, Alice encounters a lizard named Bill:
Well I hardly know—No more, thank ye; I’m better now—but I’m a deal too flustered to tell you—all I know is, something comes at me like a Jack-in-the-box, and up I go like a sky rocket!”
Here, Bill the lizard talks about crawling through the chimney to investigate the White Rabbit’s cottage. He describes the smoke and fire as being like a Jack-in-the-box that springs up quickly and makes him go up "like a skyrocket." These similes create a humorous picture and help the reader imagine an otherwise unimaginably crazy scenario.
In Chapter 5, when Alice tries to change her size in the presence of the Caterpillar, she discovers a new ability:
As there seemed to be no chance of getting her hands up to her head, she tried to get her head down to them, and was delighted to find that her neck would bend about easily in any direction, like a serpent.
This simile compares Alice's movement to that of a serpent. One can imagine her neck bending and curving like a snake's; the image created by this phrase is quite creepy. However, nothing is as it seems in Wonderland, and Alice is delighted at the utility of such flexibility.
Related Themes:
