Stolen kisses
In his first essay, the narrator compares the happy moments of idleness with stolen kisses. For him, everything that is forbidden is sweeter because a man knows that he had to create opportunities in order to enjoy that moment. What is offered freely and what is considered safe however, is not seen as a pleasurable moment, but rather something that is tiring and creates frustration.
Cats and Humans
When the narrator writes about vanity, he compares the way humans react when they are treated right to the way cats react. In his opinion, humans and cats are similar in this department. Both react positively when they are treated nice and when their ego is stroked and react violent when they are made fun of, treated with cruelty or disrespected, they protest and react in a negative way.
Weather and politics
In order to highlight the idea that society will never be happy with the weather, he compared wealth with the government which is always ‘’in the wrong’’ according to Jerome. This comparison enforces the idea that society will always want something that it doesn’t have and that it will never be satisfied with what it has.
Gustavus and tornadoes
In the eight essay, the narrator compares his dog with a tornado in order to highlight the extent of the destruction the dog causes on a daily bases. Just like a tornado destroys everything in its path, the dog does the same thing inside the narrator’s house and there is nothing he can do to stop the dog.
Disease
Shyness is compared with a deadly disease in one of the essays wrote by Jerome. In his opinion, being shy is equal with having a physical problem that can put a man’s life in danger. Shyness can destroy a man’s social life and it can make him feel isolated. This comparison has the purpose of highlighting the dangers to which a shy man is exposed and also to show that just like a physical disease can be cured, so can be shyness.
