A simile is used to describe Mother.

Figurative language is a comparison.  Figurative language is used to describe Mother’s newfound strength.  When the minister comes, she holds her ground.  She continues her work shelling peas with a “saintly expression” and does not invite him in.  Her handling of the pease is described figuratively.

She handled the pease as if they were bullets.

By comparing the peas to bullets, Freeman is making a simile.  A simile compares two unlike things by saying they are like each other.  The mother handles the peas like bullets because she is tough and strong.  She is ready to stand up to the minister and won’t take anything from anyone.

How does Freeman reveal Mother's character using description and figurative language in "The Revolt of 'Mother'"?

The descriptions of Mother and figurative language show that she is strong.

Although mother tells Nanny Penn that women folk know nothing, according to men, she is actually a strong character.  When her husband decides to build a bigger barn instead of the better house he promised her, she is irritated and she decides to do something about it.

Sarah Penn’s irritation is demonstrated by her reactions to finding out her husband is building a barn.  She shoved her daughter aside, “plunged her hands vigorously into the water,” and “scrubbed a dish fiercely.”  The fact that she shows her displeasure in her housework demonstrates an awareness of her station in life and how she can use it.

Sarah gets the idea to use what strength and power she has.  She moves into the barn. 

With partitions and windows, what a house would there be! Sarah looked at the row of stanchions before the allotted space for cows, and reflected that she would have her front entry there.

There, she is described with figurative language.  The peas she is shelling are compared to bullets, and “the barn threshold might have been Plymouth Rock from her bearing” when the minister confronts her.  She does not back down.  Her husband built a bigger barn when he promised her a bigger house, so she moved into the house.

What kind of person is Mother in "The Revolt of 'Mother" and how is her character revealed?

'Mother', also known as Sarah Penn, is a strong and patient woman.  She has relied on the promise of her husband to one day build her a comfortable home, and has not "nagged" as the years past.  She is mature and works hard, never neglecting her duties.  Even when Adoniram is discovered to have backed out of his promise, she adheres closely to her duties and to her role as a 'Mother'.  She will not allow her daughter to speak out against her father.  She does not herself turn to emotional pleas.  Instead, she argues logically with her husband.  When that fails, this strong and independent woman simply takes what is rightfully hers by moving into the barn.

Freeman uses third person point of view and allusions to express these characteristics.  The 3rd person viewpoint allows the audience to get a factual, unbiased account of this woman, her thoughts and her behavior.  Readers become detached observers who can form their own opinions about the situation and the characters, rather than having an internal narrator casting bias on the situation.  In addition, allusions to famous people - such as Daniel Webster - allow the audience to get a clearer picture of the author's character.  If she is being connected to the effective public speaker Webster, than we know she is herself an effective speaker.

In The Revolt of 'Mother,' how does Freeman reveal Mother's character through description?

The author uses rather concise language to create in the character of Mother a strong woman, who has been taught to honor and obey her husband.  She does not hesitate to ask for the things she wants or inquire about things the family needs.  However, regardless of his answer, she goes back to work in a dutiful and quiet manner.

It is obvious from her body language and the description of Mother's reactions to her husband's answers about the digging and the plans for a new barn in the exact place which had been promised for their new house, that Mother is not pleased with her husband's decision.

Only after her daughter's angry suggestion that they have her wedding in the new barn, however, is it clear what Mother plans to do.  From her reaction to the arrival of her brother's letter inviting Adoniram to come look at a horse he might be interesting in buying, the reader can suppose she had something to do with that letter.  However, in the hours immediately following her husband's departure, she and the family are busy moving into the barn and moving the new hay order and the new livestock into both the old barn and the old house.

Of course, her husband and the neighbors act appropriately shocked and put out with Mother's action, but the understatement of her actions speak loudly through her meek but not weak character.  She has never raised her voice, she has never openly defied her husband, there has never been an ugly outbreak of confrontation.  However, her actions speak loudly enough for everyone.  She is serious about providing properly for her family, and the cows don't need a better housing provision.