Brush with Death
One of the narrators of the novel uses metaphor to make a philosophical assertion that is actually a bit more literal in this narrator’s particular case. “You hear the phrase all the time: a brush with death. What they don’t tell you is that the brush has paint on it. And once it touches you, you can’t get it off.” The broader philosophical concept explored in this observation has to do with the psychology of coming close to dying. A brush with death is a metaphor for a close call but the reference to paint being on the brush suggests that while one may physically survive a close call with death, the mental and emotional trauma lingers long afterward.
Love
Another of the narrators contemplates the vagaries of what it means to be in love. “It’s a trap disguised as love.” This metaphor is used to specifically describe a type of emotionally dependent relationship that the narrator has decided does not constitute actual love. The trap refers to a state in which caring for another person makes you hurt all the time. Actual love may cause pain, but it is not a constant presence when it is the real thing.
Identity
The meaning of bodies as they relate to identity is a huge theme throughout the book. One of the shapeshifting narrators wonders “if historians of the future will look back on this time as the period of the great divorce.” The metaphorical divorce referred to is that of the necessity to possess a body in order to assume an identity. The narrator goes on to observe that actions that once absolutely required a body to establish identity—banking transactions, buying consumer goods, etc.—no longer carry that requirement. Almost all things requiring an actual body to prove identity can now be carried out virtually from practically any geographical distance.
Actions
The comparative qualities of the simile are always efficient for highlighting the emotional tenor of actions in a scene. “The mood turns even more celebratory as if I’ve just vanquished a dragon.” Most readers will be familiar with the over-the-top celebration of heroism demonstrated in fantasy movies when a character kills a dragon. This visual image instantly communicates the extreme tone of a triumphant moment being commemorated. The moment the narrator is describing is effectively illustrated with this choice of metaphorical image.
Setting
Metaphorical language also comes in very handy when it comes to establishing the setting of a story. “We’re at the Mall now. I turn left and see the Capitol, presiding like a bald man over his domain. I turn right and see the Washington Monument, a rocket too heavy to launch.” Anyone remotely familiar with Washington, D.C. will intuitively recognize that this is the geographical location being referenced. The comparison of the white round top of the U.S. Capitol to a bald head does not even require familiarity with the city. The apt comparison of the obelisk commemorating the nation’s first president to a rocket ready to take off fills in that gap.
