Rotten Brain (Metaphor)
This metaphor vividly depicts the humor of the little writer, when he answers the authors questions. He didn’t want to write him back, because Mr. Henshaw was just his favorite writer, not his teacher and he (Leigh) doesn’t have to respond. But his mother said that he ought to answer those questions because Mr. Henshaw had answered his, and by the way the TV is broken and he had nothing to do in the past school time. Little boy suffered and was exhausted and was angry while writing so long texts for so long time so his brain were “rotten”.
Disgusted reader (Metaphor)
Leigh’s attitude toward Mr. Henshaw is constantly changing throughout the story. At first he feels exciting about the fact that his favorite author is his pen friend, but then, when the writer asked Leigh some questions, he was irritated, because he didn’t understand why should he answer his “stupid”, “rotten” questions. And from his “number one reader” he turns into the “disgusted” one.
Being a snitch is not a good idea (Metaphor)
Leigh has a trouble – somebody eats the tastiest food from his lunchbox. It happens every day and he cant find out who is a thief. But he doesn’t want to complain his teacher either, because he is a new boy in the school and “it isn't a good idea for a new boy in school to be a snitch”. This metaphor stays for the defining boy’s way of thinking about relationship with other members of society.
Lovely dinner for lonely hearts (Metaphor)
Leigh and his mother spent their first Christmas dinner without father at Katy’s place. There were also some of the other women who work with her and their kids and a few old people from her neighborhood. And the dinner was nice, but there was something missing, and Leigh knew what, and his mother knew, they both wanted it to be their family dinner, with loving husband and dad, but it was impossible. This metaphor expresses mother’s sadness about the fact that she can’t spent this time in warm family atmosphere.
A heart as big as football stadium (Simile)
The author uses this simile to express the great gratitude to Katy, Leigh’s mother’s friend and colleague, who invited them to the Christmas dinner and always put something tasty into Leigh’s lunchbox (unfortunately, just that food was stolen). Katy is a good person and mother likes her so much, this expression just highlights that fact, maybe she compares Katy’s good heart with a football stadium so that her son could imagine it’s greatness.
