explain the significance of the extended metaphor in the opening of chapter five.

the odd commune, proves a savvy parody of ŒNew Age' principles, particularly when filtered through the view of the practical, down-to-earth narrator. The members of the commune are sharply rendered types, claiming to adhere to an unconventional lifestyle and to be "open to new ideas" but instead proving themselves to be rigid, dogmatic and humorless. Kingsolver does not spare any satiric details, from the pretentious names (Fei and La-Isha) to the politically correct dogma that gender is not an issue (when the question about Turtle's gender was asked innocently) to the adherence to strict yet unproven diet principles. Kingsolver portrays these characters essentially as hypocrites and frauds, and justly uses them as comic material to help Lou Ann and Taylor bond.

thanks