Simile: French Drapes
In the very beginning of the novel, Bellow describes the Gloriana: “In the foreground the lobby was dark, sleepy. French drapes like sails kept out the sun, but three high, narrow windows were open” (1). Comparing the drapes to sails suggests a ship, and with the "dark" and "sleepy" imagery, the Gloriana appears old, slow, ponderous. This is where young(ish) Wilhelm strives to make something of himself, but he is surrounded by the elderly whom he sees as wrongfully and annoyingly entrenched in their mores and prejudices.
Simile: Pills
Dr. Adler is utterly disdainful of his son, particularly in the way he takes care of himself. He derides Wilhelm's pills and remedies, commenting, "these things get to be as serious as poisons, and yet everyone puts all their faith in them" (29). He does not respect his son for having ailments, or for trying to treat them; he would rather Wilhelm just "buck up" and bear his crosses like a man.
Simile: New York
Wilhelm is feeling the pressure of his life—his last funds invested with a potential charlatan, a wife who won't divorce him, a father who despises him. And there is also the city, which overwhelms him. He uses this simile to suggest how he feels disoriented: "New York is like a gas. The colors are running. My head feels so tight, I don't know what I'm doing" (47).
Simile: Wilhelm
Dr. Adler has no sympathy for Wilhelm when his son talks about his marriage and his job. He pushes back at him, accusing Wilhelm of motivations and behaviors that are not true. The weak-willed Wilhlem feebly fights back, but "Like a ball in the surf, washed beyond reach, his self-control was going out" (50). The simile helps cement the image of Wilhelm as seemingly unable to do much to defend himself or fix the problems he's made for himself.
Metaphor: Risk
Tamkin uses all of his powers of persuasion to get Wilhelm to invest and then to feel comfortable with said investment. Here he uses a metaphor to express how Wilhelm needs to stop deliberating and just embrace the stock market experience if he ever wants to be a success: "To know how it feels to be a seaweed you have to get in the water" (57).
