Setting
The Ramona series of books are set in Portland, whose skyline is dominated by looming Mt. Hood off in the distance. Cleary takes advantage of that defining characteristic of the city with a simile that effective communicates the specific shape of the peak:
“As Ramona thought, she stared out the window at the blue sky, the treetops, and, in the distance, the snow-capped peak of Mount Hood looking like a giant licked ice-cream cone.”
Reader Identification
Cleary also recognizes the value of parental hyperbole to delineate character. By putting into the words of Ramona’s parents figurative language young readers have doubtlessly heard come out of the mouths of their parents, she facilitates identification with her heroine.
“Your room is a disaster area.”
Personification
One of the more effective uses of the simile it so draw a correlation between a human and non-human entity. The author uses this in an especially efficient way using a picture drawn by her father that allows the simile to also be used as a part of a particularly tender moment as well as for comic effect.
"The car’s headlights were crossed and its front bumper turned down like Ramona’s mouth. They both looked sick. Ramona discovered she remembered how to smile.
“You make me sound like Bigfoot”
When Ramona is trying to draw a foot and telling her father why her foot is easier to draw than this, her father replies with a comparison to Bigfoot. While most people would recognize the comparison, the simile takes on additional familiarity when remembering that the story is set in the Pacific Northwest: heart of Bigfoot sighting country.
“What a nuisance.”
This statement that becomes a metaphor for Ramona’s entire personality is a driving force behind a huge chunk of the narrative. Ultimately, the full extent of the metaphorical comparison will be revealed as significantly less all-encompassing than assumed, but it is the assumption that takes such an emotional toll on Ramona, effectively proving that words do have consequences, especially on impressionable children.
