Literary Devices In Tangerine, By Edward Bloor

A tangerine is not only a citrus fruit, but also a county in Florida that is home to Paul Fisher and his older brother Erik. In the novel titled Tangerine by Edward Bloor, Paul Fisher, the protagonist, is not only bullied at school, but also at home by his brother, while having to live in the house where his dad lives in the illusion of the “Erik Fisher Football Dream.” In this new county that Paul moves to, he constantly has to put up with natural disasters like muck fires and sinkholes. The move from Houston, Texas to Tangerine County, Florida is the start of a new chapter for the Fisher family, especially Paul. Throughout the entire novel, the author’s use of literary devices is very clear. These literary devices, specifically similes and personification, help the reader get a better idea of the exact sounds and feelings which will allow them to know what it feels like to be there in that moment. “ I stood there, trying to think of a comeback, when suddenly, I heard a whooshing sound, like the sound you get when you open a vacuum-sealed can of peanuts. Then the brown water that had puddled up all over the field began to move. It began to run toward the back portables, like someone pulled the plug out of a giant bathtub. Next came a crack-crack-crackling sound. The boards began to come apart, and the loose mud under the walkway began to slide toward that giant bathtub drain”(Bloor 80).

This quoted evidence illustrates how comparing one thing to another