The rumbling gun
The writer enhances the understanding of how intense the sound from the bullet being fired from the gun was via the use of a simile. In this way, the narrator enhances the reader's imagery of the sound by linking it to that of thunder. The writer notes: "The gun recoils in my hand as the bullet rips toward heaven, rumbling like thunder."
"Like an ant"
The sidewalk's expansive nature is perceived through the contrast that the narrator employs by comparing himself to an ant on the sidewalk. The sidewalk being too broad, too abandoned, and too silent a situation that makes its width appear magnified, and the narrator's use of the simile enhances a more profound conception of the same. The writer notes: "It is so wide, I feel like an ant crawling along a sidewalk. Everything is silent. Too silent. Too abandoned." The narrator's miniature stature on the sidewalk is perceived through the comparison to an ant.
"… soft and round like a pancake."
Having won a pancake eating contest, Jack earns the nickname, Flapjack. Jack then uses a simile to present how soft and round he was, the imagery of which is enhanced via the direct comparison to a pancake. The narrator notes: "It didn't help that I was soft and round like a pancake and the shortest kid who entered the contest." The comparison thus enhances a deeper understanding of Jack's physical appearance.
The leaping old man
The emergency with which the man gets up and leaps at Jack is made explicit through the use of a simile. Specifically, the narrator compares how the man leaps at him to how a snake does the same when striking prey. While enhancing imagery, the simile also brings out the emergency and urgency of the man's actions. The narrator notes: "Before I could get my rifle up and aimed, the old man was off the ground and leaping at me like a snake striking prey."
The raider
The imagery and appearance of the rider that shows up at Jack's house are enhanced through the narrator's employment of a simile. His massive stature is enhanced through the use of intense descriptions. His arms are compared to clubs, a simile that enhances their thick nature, whereas his chest is compared to a cannon. In this way, the man's heavy physical stature is made explicit. The narrator notes: "He was thick, with arms like clubs and a chest like a cannon."
