Final answer:
Option (B), The simile compares the child's body to a hill, and both are described as towering over the boy, implying a sense of size, dominance, or protection.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the simile from lines 17 to 18, two things are compared: the child's body and a hill. They are both described as being above the boy, wherein the child's body looms over him in the same way that a hill looms over a village.
Just as a hill provides shade and shelter to the village below, the child's body casts a presence over the boy, potentially offering protection, comfort, or dominance depending on the context of the poem. The correct answer to what the simile compares and how they are similar is B) The child's body and a hill, both towering over the boy.