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Definition of Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like" or "as," but can also... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often... read full definition
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Asher's Fork:
In Chapter 5, the Lev family is seated at the dinner table when Aryeh expresses his anger and frustration about Asher's art. Asher's response is described with the following simile:
My mother put her face in her hands. “Yoh Ribbon Olom,” my father sang. God, Master of the Universe, You are the King, the King of all kings. I found myself clutching my fork as if I were readying a weapon in my defense.
The simile in this passage is, "I found myself clutching my fork as if I were readying a weapon in my defense." Because Asher is not accepted for who he is at home, his defenses are constantly up, even in what should be a calming, domestic space where he is taken care of. Using a piece of kitchenware as a "weapon in [his] defense" demonstrates the incongruity between the popular imagination of family dinner (perhaps as warm, inviting, and supportive) and the reality of Asher's ostracism. Asher feels like he needs to defend himself and his art in his own home, and the warlike image this simile creates demonstrates the fact that he's in conflict with his community and himself, fighting for acceptance. Relatedly, Asher draws with his fork at the dinner table in one scene, sending his father into a rage. In many ways, art is Asher's "weapon."
Related Themes:
Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Flame of a Candle:
In Chapter 7, Asher is in school studying the Torah and explores the following religious allegory, which is also a simile:
We studied the meaning of the verse in Proverbs “The candle of God is the soul of man.” The souls of Jews are like the flame of a candle, the mashpia said. The flame burns upward; it seeks to be parted from the wick in order to unite with its source above, in the universal element of fire. Similarly, the soul of the Jew yearns to separate itself and depart from the body in order to unite with the Master of the Universe, even though this means that nothing will remain of its former nature as a distinct and separate entity.
The simile in this example is that "Jews are like the flame of a candle"—a comparison that is also allegorical because it is extended to explain how Jews seek to attain union with God, much like a candle's flame stretches upwards.
The way this passage describes faith is important because it also reflects how Asher feels about art. Just as Jews are described as being drawn relentlessly to God in this example, Asher is drawn relentlessly to art. He is called to art as others are called to religion in his community, and Potok's close comparison of them heightens the core tension between art and faith in the novel.
Related Themes:
Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—Clay and Marble:
In Chapter 8, Jacob Kahn justifies his desire to mentor Asher with the following simile:
All artists are selfish and self-centered. I am taking you on because I will derive pleasure in molding your greatness, just as I derive pleasure in molding clay and marble.
The simile in this example—Jacob molding Asher's career "just as I derive pleasure in molding clay and marble"—sees Jacob compare his protege to a work of art he is in the process of creating. This passage helps establish the complex relationship between Asher and Jacob, marked by both unconditional love and calculated transaction. Despite acting as a stand-in for Asher's unaccepting family, Jacob partially invests his time in Asher because he has something to gain from Asher's success. He reminds Asher repeatedly that there is money to be made as Asher's mentor who helps him get opportunities in the art world.
Later in the story, Asher outpaces Jacob in terms of both talent and fame. As Jacob fades into obscurity, Asher soars to new heights, and Jacob gets jealous. In this way, this passage also foreshadows just how transactional their relationship will be revealed to be—that even though Asher and Jacob have a special bond, it will always be based on selfishness to some degree.
Related Themes:
Chapter 14
Explanation and Analysis—The Art Store:
Asher returns to Reb Yudel Krinsky's art store in Chapter 14, where he sought refuge as a child first becoming familiar with his artistic gifts. Asher's feeling upon returning is expressed through the following simile:
The store had not changed. It was warm and smelled of clean paper and new pencils. The metal stand with the oil colors was still there near the door. I looked around slowly. It was like returning to a warm dry sheltering cave.
The simile in this passage is that returning to the store "was like returning to a warm dry sheltering cave." When he was a child, Asher received both protection from his difficult home life at the store and crucial nourishment of his artistic gifts. In a lot of ways, Reb Yudel Krinksy's store is one of the most important locations in the book to Asher's character development. Even years after his childhood has come and gone, and years after he came into his own as a world-renowned artist, the store still provides him protection from the outside world, much like a "dry sheltering cave." At the store, he receives the unconditional love and support he craved from his family and could never get.
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