These short stories are frequently taught for their use of metaphors and similes. While most fiction contains figurative language, the works listed here are especially well known for using metaphor, simile, or extended symbolism to shape meaning, mood, or character.
In some stories, figurative language reflects a character’s inner life. In others, it functions structurally, standing in for broader social, psychological, or moral ideas. Because of this, these stories are often used in classrooms to help students recognize and interpret figures of speech in context.
Short Stories with Similes and Metaphors
“Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield
A middle-aged woman takes a weekly Sunday walk in the park, observing the people around her and imagining herself as part of a larger performance. An overheard remark forces her to confront the gap between her inner life and reality.(Read “Miss Brill”)
“This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” by Tadeusz Borowski
At Auschwitz, the narrator works on the ramp, directing arriving prisoners toward labor or death. The story’s blunt imagery and recurring comparisons strip human life down to functions within a mechanized system of extermination. (Summary of “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen”)
Read “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen”
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
An unnamed narrator insists on his sanity while recounting how he murdered an old man because of his “Evil Eye.” His obsessive language and comparisons reveal a mind unraveling under guilt and paranoia. (Read “The Tell-Tale Heart”)
“There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury
An automated house continues its daily routines long after its human occupants are gone. The house itself becomes a metaphor for technological progress detached from human presence. (Summary & themes of “There Will Come Soft Rains”)
This story can be read in the preview of The Stories of Ray Bradbury.
“A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor
A family road trip ends in a violent encounter with an escaped criminal known as the Misfit. O’Connor uses symbolic dialogue and repeated imagery to explore morality, grace, and self-deception.
“The Country Husband” by John Cheever
After surviving an emergency crash landing, Francis Weed experiences a renewed sense of vitality that his family barely notices. His fixation on a young babysitter reflects his struggle to reconcile mortality, desire, and suburban life.
“Cathedral” by Raymond Carver
A man hosts a blind visitor he feels uneasy around. Through a shared drawing exercise, the narrator’s literal and figurative blindness begins to shift. (Read “Cathedral”)
“The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury
A futuristic home provides every convenience, including a virtual nursery that creates vivid environments for the children. The nursery becomes a powerful metaphor for unchecked imagination and technological dependence. (Read “The Veldt”)
“The Storm” by Kate Chopin
While a storm keeps her husband away, Calixta is visited by a former love. The storm mirrors the intensity and suddenness of their encounter. (Read “The Storm”)
“I Stand Here Ironing” by Tillie Olsen
As a mother irons clothes, she reflects on her daughter’s upbringing and her own limitations. The act of ironing serves as an extended metaphor for attempts to smooth out the past.
“Big Black Good Man” by Richard Wright
A white hotel porter reacts with fear and suspicion when a large Black sailor asks for a room. Wright uses physical description and contrast to expose racial stereotypes and anxiety.
“The Stone Boy” by Gina Berriault
After a tragic accident involving his brother, a young boy reacts with emotional detachment. His stillness and silence become metaphors for shock and incomprehension.
“Silent Snow, Secret Snow” by Conrad Aiken
A twelve-year-old boy becomes increasingly absorbed in the idea of an imaginary snowfall. The snow functions as a metaphor for withdrawal from reality and growing isolation.
“To Da-duh, in Memoriam” by Paule Marshall
An adult narrator recalls a childhood visit to her grandmother in Barbados. Their exchanges become symbolic contests between tradition and modernity.
“Brownies” by ZZ Packer
A Brownie troop of fourth grade African-American girls goes to a summer camp. They quickly develop a dislike for a troop of all white girls, and after one of them is heard using a racial slur, they decide to beat up all the white girls.
“The Wave” by Liam O’Flaherty
A two hundred foot high cliff has developed a cavern at its base from “battling” for thousands of years with the incoming waves. Waves continue to crash in, and high tide is approaching.
In these stories, metaphors and similes play a central role in shaping meaning. Rather than simply adding description, they guide the reader’s understanding of characters, themes, and turning points.
Close attention to figurative language can help students recognize how authors express complex ideas indirectly, allowing meaning to emerge through images, comparisons, and patterns.