Imagery and metaphors

“The River” by Bruce Springsteen has a few metaphors and figures of speech that must not be overlooked in an analysis.

Similes and comparisons

There are several similes and comparisons present in “The River” by Bruce Springsteen. The first one is noticeable in the first stanza, when the narrator describes one of the traditions in the valley: “They bring you up to do like your daddy done” (l. 3).

Another pair of similes is noticeable in the fourth stanza:

Now I just act like I don't remember
Mary acts like she don't care  (ll. 24-25)

Probably the most powerful simile is the one present in the final stanza: “They haunt me like a curse” (l. 31).

The memories which haunt the narrator are similar to a curse because they remind him of things he can no longer have. They are painful reminders of teenage dreams and hopes that were never bound to come true.

Metaphors and symbols

In previous sections, we have mentioned that the landscape itself is an important metaphor in the song. Neither the river nor the valley are important as part of the topography; on the contrary, they are important because they are metaphors with deeper meaning...