Both the simile and metaphor compare two things. To compare means to show the similarities shared between two or more things. The metaphor and the simile both take you from the known to the unknown – they paint a more vivid picture of something unknown by comparing it with something familiar. The simile is simple: it says that something is “like” or “as” something else. The metaphor on the other hand is a bit more technical and comes in a variety of styles.
To help you understand the metaphor better, let’s tell a little story. The story of Pinocchio starts with Geppetto the woodworker. Geppetto was such a skilled woodworker that one day he carved out a wooden doll. He called the doll Pinocchio and spoke with it as though it were his child. One day, the Blue Fairy passed by and decided to turn Geppetto’s dream into a reality. She turned the doll into a real boy. This made Geppetto really happy. But on the way to school, Pinocchio got carried away by bad influence. He was led astray with the promise of a better life. Pinocchio, being “unwary” of the evils of the world, ran away from home and got locked up in a jail. He was tricked. His father, Geppetto, went to great lengths to free him.
The Pinocchio attitude illustrated in this story is a problem with many youths today! Being naive and ignorant of the devices that are out there, they often stray from the protective grasp of their parents and end up in trouble. In a real-life example, not too long ago, a 17-year-old boy was surfing the internet when he was promised large sums of money and a better life in a foreign country. He was excited about the offer, but his mother, knowing better, tried to stop him. As a result, the youth got upset with his mother and threatened to run away from home. We can compare this lad to Pinocchio. We can say that, “he’s playing Pinocchio.”
We can compare this youth with Pinocchio because they are both naive and ignorant to the wiles of the world. Eventually, we managed to convince the youth that accepting such offers from strangers he hardly knows is dangerous.
The expression “he’s playing Pinocchio” is a metaphor which compares the fictional character “Pinocchio” to a real person who faces a similar situation.
Do you know anyone who’s playing Pinocchio in real life? Tell us in the comments!
Copyright 2026 by Patrick Carpen. All Rights Reserved.