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What is an example of a simile in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

A simile is a comparison that uses the words "like" or "as." There are many comparisons within The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and most of them are found in the narration of the book (as opposed to the dialogue) because a young boy like Bruno would be less likely to use such a literary concept. One example of a simile can be found on page 211:



There was some sort of disturbance towards the back, where some people seemed unwilling to march, but Bruno was too small to see what happened and all he heard was loud noises, like the sound of gunshots, but he couldn't make out what they were.



The comparison here is that of "loud noises" compared to "gunshots." The word connecting the comparison is the word "like," which makes this a simile. This is a perfect example of Bruno's misunderstanding of what is really going on as the Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz are marched into the gas chamber. The sound "like gunshots" was likely actually gunshots. The reader should be imagining scared Jewish people unwilling to walk into the chamber. It is most likely that the Nazis simply shot them.  

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