In this passage, Larson uses a simile in order to compare Holmes’s calmness to a lake “on a still August morning.” This comparison emphasizes Holmes’s serene attitude towards the death of Gertrude. While most people would mourn with Ned, Holmes maintains his vague coolness. The stolidity of Holmes after hearing the announcement of her death causes the reader to lose more trust for him. Although he does convey “how sorry he was,” the similarities of Holmes’s expression and the lake disturbs the reader because death is sorrowful, but he acts as if it was an everyday
