Horse simile
In the following passage, Joey is described with a simile, comparing him to a horse. This simile not only connects with the pastoral nature of this text but also describes aspects of Joey's character:
"Joey looked like a horse and he smiled like a horse, raising a long upper lip to show big square teeth."
Sparrow metaphor
Steinbeck uses a metaphor to describe a "delinquent gang of English sparrows... fighting on the new-coming lawn of the Elgar house, not playing but rolling and picking and eye-gouging with such ferocity and so noisily that they didn't see Ethan approach." This is described metaphorically as being a "battle," which personifies the sparrows and makes them seem violent.
Joey's voice
When describing Joey's voice, Steinbeck says that "he gave it out with a rising inflection, almost like a question." Here, he gives us some idea of what Joey's voice sounds like by using a simile.
