The simile of doing the right things
Richard Ewings (RE) is an investigative officer conducting an interview with Cameron on the school shooting incident that sometimes occurred. He requests to know the relationship between Cameron and his parents among the questions Ewings asks. Consequently, Cameron uses a simile to compare his parents' ambitions to do the right things. Cameron says, “They have things they want to do. Financial security – that sort of thing. They are, like, doing the right things.”
The metaphor of dairy entries
The author uses diary entries metaphorically to represent interviews conducted by the investigative officers to find out the cause of the shooting in Madison High School. The main culprit (shooter) is Leonard, who was also killed when confronted by the police. Therefore, the diary entries are conducted by the police when they interview Cameron (Leonard's close friend) to comprehend the cause of the shooting.
Gun shooting
The author figuratively uses violence as a metaphor that represents the massive gun shooting that has taken place in American schools, churches, and other places where many people gather. Leonard is just a symbol of uncontrolled gun shooting. The incident of gun shooting has cost the lives of innocent Americans. Consequently, the author is trying to point out the significance of gun control measures to avoid future deaths resulting from reckless shootings.
