"Lyra's uncle moved across to the fire and stretched his arms high above his head, yawning like a lion." (Simile)
Lyra has great respect for Lord Asriel, but she also fears him. Lions are powerful creatures often associated with nobility. At the same time, they represent danger. The narrator is describing Lord Asriel’s actions through Lyra’s eyes while Lyra hides in a closet watching him. This simile highlights Lord Asriel’s two most prominent traits in Lyra’s eyes: power and danger.
“Streams and veils of light hung like curtains” (Simile)
Throughout the novel, Pullman plays with light and matter, emphasizing that these forces act in unexpected ways in different universes. We usually think of light as something weightless that lacks visible borders. Yet during Lord Asriel’s presentation about his trip to the North, the narrator compares the light of the aurora borealis to hanging curtains, which can be touched and are subject to the effects of gravity. This simile hints that in the North, unknown and mysterious forces may operate in a way that is different from the world we know. It also foreshadows what Lord Asriel later reveals: that just as light can pass from one world to another, so too can matter.
“[A]ll the fear in [Lyra’s] nature was drawn to Mrs. Coulter as a compass needle is drawn to the Pole.” (Simile)
Pullman compares Lyra’s fearful attraction to Mrs. Coulter to the magnetism between a compass needle and the north pole. Lyra feels an insurmountable fear toward Mrs. Coulter. At the same time, this fear compels Lyra on her northward journey to fulfill her destiny. This simile highlights the importance of invisible and mysterious forces of nature in The Golden Compass. While Lyra feels she is in control of her own destiny, in truth she is often compelled by greater, unknown forces.
“The evening sky was awash with peach, apricot, cream: tender little ice-cream clouds in a wide orange sky.” (Metaphor)
The narrative begins to take a dark turn as children disappear at the hands of mysterious kidnappers. Lyra looks to the colorful sunset as she reflects on her changing world. The metaphor of “tender little ice-cream clouds” provides a light-hearted, cheerful contrast to the dark reality that is unfolding around her. Yet Lyra’s relief is temporary. Just as clouds fade and ice cream melts, so too must childhood innocence slip away.
“Just as the bear had said: the armor was his soul.” (Metaphor)
As Lyra gets to know Iorek, she has the opportunity to form a deep relationship with someone who is very different from her. Iorek and Lyra do not even belong to the same species. Pullman’s metaphor, which emphasizes that for the bear his armor is literally his soul, helps Lyra to gain empathy for the bear’s reality. Without this figure of speech, Lyra would likely have a hard time understanding the importance of the armor to the bear, and would not be able to gather the forces necessary to complete her mission.
