New arrivals at one retirement community were told by its director: ""you are like pilgrims crossing the ocean to take up a new life."" this simile implicitly supports the author’s assumption that those moving to retirement communities feel uncertainty on the wisdom of departing from the past.
Satisfaction at gaining parental independence. Relief at getting out of challenging circumstances. Optimism about being around people who share your objectives.
The terms "like" or "as" are used to compare two dissimilar objects in a simile, which is a sort of metaphor. A simile is used to assist describe one thing by comparing it to another that may seem unrelated at first.