"If the West was a box of colorful crayons, my life was a case of dull pencil leads" (Metaphor)
Cristian describes Bucharest as "gray," the "cold monochrome," representing the crushing toll of oppression, scarcity, and hopelessness. In this metaphor, Cristian contrasts his life under communism with the hope and joy he imagines people in the West feel, describing the Western world as a "box of colorful crayons." Crayons connote childlike joy, innocence, fun, and greater opportunities to create. By calling his life a "case of dull pencil leads," Cristian explains that the ability to imagine and create a unique life is more limited in Bucharest than in the West, just as an artist can make more varied images with color than with pencil.
“Life in an apartment block felt like living in a cement chest of drawers" (Simile)
In this simile, Cristian explains the dismal experience of living in communist-issued apartment blocks constructed from cement, a depressing, gray material. Additionally, Cristian and his neighbors live in identical apartments, as the regime does not permit individual expression. Comparing the apartments to a "chest of drawers" also connotes Cristian's isolation and containment at home. Like everyone else's, his apartment is bugged, meaning he cannot express himself freely. He feels suffocated in the tiny space and controlled as if Ceaușescu has locked Cristian and his fellow Romanians inside a chest of drawers.
“The cough, it sounded painful and evil, like wild dogs were living inside Bunu, barking and tearing through his innards" (Simile)
Throughout the text, wild dogs are used as a symbol of the dehumanizing effects of oppression and scarcity. Cristian believes Bunu is sick with leukemia, though it is later revealed that his illness was a result of being poisoned. Thus, this simile reveals that Bunu's illness is a consequence of Romania's oppression; he is killed by Secu agents who are corrupted by the violence and deprivation they experience.
"The cigarette smoke, like sins rising, crept up and around his neck" (Simile)
Cigarettes are used as an informal currency in Bucharest to bribe Secu agents, doctors, and other professionals into providing better treatment or necessities. When Cristian meets Agent Paddle Hands, he notices that not only does the Secu agent have access to many cigarettes, but he smokes a more elite, imported brand. Thus, Cristian compares the cigarette smoke to Agent Paddle Hands' "sins," or the consequences of his corruption. Paddle Hands destroys people's lives and relationships for privilege and access to comforts like his preferred brand of cigarettes.
"School that day was a morgue. Cold silence. Blank faces" (Metaphor)
After hearing reports about revolts in Timișoara, Cristian expects to find his classmates energized and discussing the potential for revolution in Bucharest. However, when he arrives at school, he is surprised to find that his classmates are silent and somber. He compares the atmosphere to a "morgue," a place where corpses are held. This simile foreshadows the consequences of revolution, as several teenagers are murdered during the uprising.
