Similes in the Jade Peony

In the Jade Peony, Wayson Choy uses many similes to enhance his writing. Here is a list of some of the best similes in the Jade Peony: 

"hungry as a bear" 
Liang describes the monkey King and Wong-Sul's hunger. This is true as Wong eats several bowls of rice, making Liang believe even more that he is the Monkey King. 

"An here I was, ten years old, with hands like silk." 
Jung-Sum compares his childhood to those in China. His hands are so soft because he doe snot have to perform manual labour. 

"and shut the door like a vault." 
Jung talks about closing the woodshed door with his turtle inside. The term vault is important because it shows how Jung values and protects the turtle. 

"his fists danced, clenched like two grenades waiting to explode." 
Jung describes Frank Yuen boxing. Grenades as fists give such a visual picture of the powerful punches. 

"English words seemed more forthright to me, blunt like road signs. Chinese words were awkward and messy, like quicksand." 
Sek-Lung uses similes to describe his challenges with the Chinese language. Quicksand gives a good visual representation of the struggling Sekky. 

"We could hear Mr. Barclay's class stampeding out like cattle, but everyone in Miss Doyle's class left in the usual orderly fashion." 
Sek-Lung compares the other class to a herd of cattle. This is an interesting idea as such a young boy shows pride in his class being organized and respectful. 

"I thought Tammy Okada must feel like a leaky submarine." Sek-Lung describes how Tammy feels when her pencil box is taken away.

"English words seemed more forthright to me, blunt like road signs. Chinese words were awkward and messy, like quicksand."
Chapter 8: Sek-Lung uses a pair of similes to describe the English and Chinese languages.

"The small knife skittered across the hall like a small frantic animal."
Chapter 6:  This simile adds to the intensity of the fight between Jung-Sum and Frank Yuen.