Bumble Bee Simile
"The racketing hum of the machine filled Laura's head like the buzzing of a gigantic bumble bee." (Working In Town)
Laura finds her job as assistant seamstress a little overwhelming and all of her senses are working at once. There is no conversation in the shop, just the constant whirring of the seeing machine that reminds Laura of the low continuous buzz of a sewing machine-sized bee.
Town on the Prairie Simile
"The town was like a sore on the beautiful, wild prairie." (A Month of Roses)
Despite the fact that the town is very new it had already created an enormous amount of mess, with manure piles, the ugly back-side of false store-fronts erected to make the street look finished, and worn-down grass. This was in contrast to the natural beauty of the prairie with its long, tall grasses and wild, free fields. The influx of people to the prairie has already taken its toll on the environmental beauty.
Fourth of July Simile
"The noise was like the noise of the battles that Americans fought for independence." (Fourth of July)
The celebration in town marked the day when the first Americans declared that all men are born free and equal. The sound of the celebration gunpowder mimics the sounds of the battlefield that enabled America to be victorious in battle and to win independence. This seems to make the reason for the celebration resonate even more.
Blackbirds Simile
"The birds were so many they made a shadow like a cloud." (Blackbirds)
As the blackbirds are swarming above Laura in the cornfields, there were so many of them that it was impossible to see where one bird finished and another began; instead they appeared to be one large body of movement like a large storm cloud.
Anger Simile
"She felt hard and hot as burning coal when she thought of Miss Wilder's treatment of Carrie." (The School Board Visit)
Laura, although outwardly showing no signs of anger, was inwardly simmering, her anger burning like coals that are just underneath the surface of the earth, even when the earth looks stable and balanced. Laura sees more the more she thinks back on what happened and the fact that she cannot do anything about the incident makes her anger more resolved, and burn hotter, just like coal when it is burning.
