A tideless and changeless sea
The massiveness of the seeding grass and corn in the village of Antwerp is compared to the tideless and changeless sea. The narrator says, “Within the sound of the little melancholy clock almost from the birth upward, and they had dwelt together, Nello and Patrasche, in the little hut on the age of the village, with the cathedral spire of Antwerp rising in the Northeast, beyond the great green plain of seeding grass and spreading corn that stretched away from them like a tideless, changeless sea.” This simile is significant because it represents the loneliness of Nello and his dog. When the narrator compares corn and grass to a changeless sea, he tells readers that Nello is an orphan and a hopeless boy who does not know what the future holds for him.
Happy face like the fair little children of Rubens
The face of the small figure (painting) stared at by Nello is compared to the children of Rubens. The author writes, "The small figure that ran beside him, which had little white feet in great wooden shoes, and soft, grave, innocent, happy face like the fair little children of Rubens.” Nello is passionate about becoming a painter like Rubens, and he always admires looking at his paintings because they inspire him. The small figure (painting) is one of the representations of Rubens’ work, which the narrator calls (children) to inspire the upcoming generation like Nello.
Whitewashed in the sun like snow
The walls of houses in Antwerp village are compared to snow. The narrator says, “It had about a score of houses and homesteads, with shutters of bright green or sky-blue, and roofs rose-red or black and white, and walls whitewashed until they shone in the sun like snow.” The comparison in this context shows readers that Antwerp village is blessed with steady rain that not only promotes the growth of corn on a large scale but also washes away the original colors of the walls of the homesteads.
