Metaphor for the role women had in society
When Clive presents his family and when he reaches his daughter, Victoria, the narrator notes how the girl in the play is not portrayed by a real person, but rather by a dummy. Victoria in this sense is not real for her father, more like a doll, a useless thing for a man interested in political matters. The doll is used in this context as a metaphor for the way women were seen, namely without any real value and without the possibility to think for themselves.
The blister
In the first Act, Betty talks with her husband about his day and he tells her how he got a blister from riding all day. Clive reacts in such a way that it transmits the idea that it is the worst thing it could have happened to him. Betty reacts in a similar manner and they all think about the shortcomings they must endure in Africa. The blister is used here in an ironic sense as a metaphor for the horribly things the British had to endure in Africa while the rest of the black people were treated as subhuman. The blister can also be used as a metaphor for the lack of endurance the British had when it comes to dealing with adversities.
Like going out in the dark
When Betty talked with Harry, she compared being near to his person with going out in the dark or maybe sailing a boat on a river. Both these activities were not commonly done by women and were seen as being dangerous for them. What Betty wanted to transmit with this comparison is the idea that she felt excited when she was near him, excited as a man feels when facing something dangerous right in front of him.
This is like an empire
During a conversation between Clive and Harry the latter tells Clive he sees his family as being akin to the British Empire. Harry admits he feels isolated because he has no family and no place to go and return. The comparison is used here by Harry to transmit the idea that in his mind, a family a man has more value than anything else in the world just like the prosperity of the Empire is the life goal of many British people.
Metaphor for release
The characters in the play are almost all involved in some way or another with some character in the play. There are a range of sexual relationships described in the play, including pedophilia, lesbianism, homosexuality, and bisexuality. This is surprising especially when considering how the characters come from a traditional society which looks down upon such practices. The sexual experiences the characters have are thus presented here as a metaphor for release, the characters engaging in sexual activities as a way to make sense of the world around them and find some freedom.
