Sick Box
The word "coffin" is not used within the novel because the characters of the Bardo believe themselves to still be alive. Instead the term "sick box" is used. Of course, the "sick box" is merely a metaphor for the coffin in which the dead characters of the Bardo reside.
The Casten Sisters
The Lincon's party, which is held while Willie is gravely ill, is described in great detail. The attendees are depicted, including "the Casten sisters, terrifically tall and pale" who "stood at a slant nearby, like alabaster anthers seeking light" (11). It is an unusual simile, which presents the Casten sisters as anthers, or flowers, that are sculpted and pure, as though made out of alabaster.
The Marine Band
During the Lincoln's party, a vivacious band plays. From Willie's room, the music can be heard as "subdued murmurs, like the wild, faint sobbing of far-off spirits." The simile depicts just how desperate and desolate Willie's condition is. Likewise, the simile foreshadows the fact that Willie will soon join those "far-off spirits" (16).
The Moon
Early in the novel, the moon is described according to a variety of conflicting sources. Some that the moon was clear and bright while others state that the moon was hidden and pale. According to one source, the moon looked "like some old beggar who wished to be invited in." This imaginative simile personifies, even humanizes the moon and indicates a close attention to the natural world that is prevalent throughout the novel.
A Little Ambassador
Willie Lincoln is depicted favorably throughout the novel, which serves to heighten the sense of loss that follows the death. In one scene, a character recounts an experience where they passed by the White House, and, upon seeing Willie Lincoln, the young boy "bowed down formally to the ground, like a little ambassador" (52). It is an endearing scene, and one that illustrates just how mature and stately Willie Lincoln is, both in live and death.
Abraham Lincoln
When Abraham Lincoln visits the cemetery, his personality and character are very intriguing to the spirits. Hans Vollman notes that "there was a touch of prairie about the fellow... like stepping into a summer barn late at night" (147). This simile presents Lincoln as a rural man, and one who is more closely related to "a summer barn" than he is to the White House.
