An Anxious Heart
As he is waiting to take uneaten and unpackaged food from a school trash can in order to feed his hungry siblings, "Efrén’s heart beat like a jackhammer." A jackhammer is that loud machine-driven piece of equipment used for breaking up concrete and asphalt. Efrén’s heart is like a jackhammer in this circumstance both because he can actually hear it beating and because of the fast rhythm at which it is beating. In addition, the simile also implies his paranoia that he will be caught in the act because the pounding of his nervous heart seems possible to be heard by others.
Superdad
Efrén's dad had been a tough police officer back in Mexico who dealt with serious hardcore criminals. The move to America did little to undermine his fearsome appearance. "So having Apá around was like having a superhero watching over the neighborhood, protecting it from hoodlums who might cause problems." The simile comparing him to a superhero takes on an added level of irony when the narrator goes on to describe him still managing to appear tough even when wearing nothing but boxers and black socks.
Burying Seeds
Jennifer introduces Efrén to this metaphor in its Spanish language form and though he speaks the language, he is not clear at first of the meaning. “They tried to bury us . . . but they didn’t know we were seeds.” The phrase is a metaphorical rendering of the conflict between prejudice against immigrants and the valuable force economic and cultural growth that immigrants provide to a society. Xenophobic racists do everything they can to make immigrants disappear. Immigrants continue to demonstrate their growth potential within their adopted cultures.
Gandhi
A teacher asks the class to interpret a quote by Gandhi. "We but mirror the world." Efrén puts this metaphorical philosophy into more concrete terminology. His interpretation of the quote is that it means simply to lead by example. People are led to certain behaviors by watching others exhibit that behavior.
Comedy
The comparative powers of the simile can often be utilized for the purpose of comedy. For instance, David muses over the direction of his campaign for class president. “You’re right! I can’t just count on my popularity. I’ve got to focus on the issues and keep the campaign clean . . . like a baby’s butt.” This simile finds comedy in the irony. A baby's butt is not always clean. And David's campaign will briefly fall under the suspicion of being just as dirty as a baby's butt sometimes gets.
