"Cops' money stinks of blood" (Metaphor)
Gũthera explains that she refuses to take on police officers as clients because their money "stinks of blood." The metaphor viscerally dramatizes how the police violently oppress people, like her deceased father, who resist imperialism and government control. Gũthera feels that by supporting herself with a police officer's money, she will be complicit in the systemic oppression of her people.
"Twins born out of the womb of the same ogre" (Metaphor)
Robert Williams and John Boy Junior are described as "twins born out of the womb of the same ogre." As this metaphor explains, John Boy Junior and Robert Williams both benefit financially and socially from colonialism and are both willing to exploit workers for personal gain. Though John Boy Junior is Black, the child of a local man, and Robert Williams is white, the child of a colonist, both men share a worldview ingrained in them by the "ogre" of a British education and a privileged upbringing.
"As if he had struck the wrong chord of a popular melody." (Simile)
Matigari asks strangers where he can "find truth and justice in this society." His bizarre question is met with confusion and skepticism, and the group is uncomfortable with his disruption of the status quo. In this simile, Matigari's unusual question and breach of social norms are compared to striking the "wrong chord" in a well-known song. Because shared oral traditions, like music, are an essential motif used throughout the text, this simile is particularly impactful, as Matigari unapologetically demonstrates his differences and beliefs, creating disharmony and discomfort.
"Books are the modern stars" (Metaphor)
An elderly woman in the woods instructs Matigari to ask educated people where to find truth and justice because "books are the modern stars." In this simile, the older woman references "wise men" of history who once tracked stars to gain wisdom and tell the future. As the woman attests, the modern equivalent of this ancient knowledge is education, represented by books. Thus, Matigari and the woman both believe that the most enlightened people in their nation should be those who study and exchange ideas.
"The songs spread like wildfire in a dry season" (Simile)
After Matigari is taken to the "asylum," people share stories about him through song. The revolutionary spirit spreads "like wildfire," meaning quickly and powerfully. Despite the government's efforts to ban revolutionary songs and ideas, the songs' messages are too powerful. The imagery of wildfire also connotes destruction and rebirth, as wildfires burn large swaths of trees, destroying them but leaving rich, fertile soil in their place. Thus, the revolutionary songs promise to overthrow and replace the oppressive system with a just government and society.
