The simile of the moon
The narrator is comparing the size of the moon to the watermelon after they alight from a bus. As they head home, the Little Tree walks beside his grandfather while Granma follows them from behind. The narrator says, "The moon was out, like half of a fat watermelon, and silvering the road ahead until it curved out of sight.” This simile does not only make a comparison but paints a picture of the environment in which the narrator and his grandparents are walking. The simile depicts the sense of sight because the reader can form an imaginative image of the environment the narrator is walking.
The simile of the sounds
The sounds of the surrounding environment and the narrator’s walking are compared to life. The sounds echo and the strings whisper through trees as if they are alive. The simile portrays the sense of hearing because the reader assumes that he is part of the narrator’s company together with his grandparents walking against a mountain. The narrator says, “The sounds of our walking began to echo, and strings came from around us, and whispers and sighs began to feather through the trees like everything had come alive.”
The metaphor of Granma’s song
The Little Tree is orphaned at the age of five and he is left under the care of his grandparents. Both Granpa and Granma are loving and caring because they are ready to sacrifice to ensure that the Little boy acquires education to secure a better future. Granma tactically sings a song to let the Little Tree know that he is not alone. Granma sings:
“They now have sensed him coming
The Forest and the wood-wind
Father mountain makers him welcome with his song
They have no fear of Little Tree
They know his heart is kindness
And they sing, ‘Little Tree is not alone’."
This song is metaphorical because it has a hidden meaning which is to assure the Little Tree that he has no reason to fear because the people around him are loving and caring.
The Simile of an Arrow
The narrator's Granpa is depicted as a sharp man throughout the story. His sharpness and bravery are compared to an arrow. His sitting posture in the professor's car is not different from his bravery. When the two are given a free ride the narrator says, "Now Granpa always stood and sat straight as an arrow, but sitting in the car with his hat on, he was too tall." Granpa is a farmer but a very intelligent man. He confidently asks the professor a question on the Whiskey tax and the professor is nervous to answer it. Consequently, Granpa is a sharp and fearless man who wants to know the truth about the Whiskey tax.
The Simile of Granma’s Eyes
The narrator becomes suspicious when he realizes that is taking Ol’ Maud and the Ringer into the cabin. Granma knows what is happening and her eyes can reveal that because her eyes are twinkling like black lights. The narrator says, “Her eyes were twinkling like black lights and she put a deer shirt on me, just like Granpa's, and placed her hand on my shoulder as she has done him, and I felt might near growed-up."
