Arabesques Metaphors and Similes

Spring like an arrow

The swiftness and fastness with which Al-Asbah leaves the barbershop are made explicit through a simile. The narrator notes: "Al-Asbah leaps up, […] and springs like an arrow out the door of the barbershop."

The falling rain

Aunt Marie is said to have compared the raindrops, and particularly their size, to coffee cups. While enhancing imagery, the comparison is also an exaggeration: "The rain had been falling in drops as big as coffee cups."

Permanence

The permanence of the dialect of Fassuta on Laylah-Surayyah is emphasized through the employment of a simile. The writer notes that: "…the dialect of Fassuta had stuck to this Laylah-Surayyah like a birthmark." The concept of permanence is thus evoked through the comparison. as the birthmark is a symbol that cannot be removed.

The steady thump of the motors

The mighty and steady thump of the motors is emphasized through the use of a simile. The motors are capable of shaking the ground, an effect and capability that is only conceivable through the direct comparison to a giant's effect. The writer notes, "… I would give myself over entirely to the steady thump of the motor, which shook the floor like a rhythmic giant." The comparison thus facilitates imagery.

Hidden story

The narrator uses a simile to express how it would have been better for the story to remain hidden, curled up like a caterpillar. The use of the simile plays the role of evoking familiarity that makes the reader understand the concept of being hidden better—curled like a caterpillar in its cocoon. In this sense, the simile evokes imagery:

"Something in their tortured expression gave me the feeling that it would have been better if the story had remained curled up like a caterpillar in the cocoon of silence forever."