Biloxi’s Blues
Casinos and hurricanes are not the only things attracted in droves to Biloxi. “As always, unchecked vice proved contagious.” This is an especially effective metaphor. On one level, it conveys just how omnipresent the seamier side of the town actually grew to become. On another level, it hints at the viral pestilence of criminal activity allowed to flower under the protection of corruption among representatives of the allegedly more respectable side of town.
The Pastime
In addition to vice, baseball is also at the center of the story. Especially as it applies to two characters when they were younger. “Baseball was their world” covers the metaphorical bases of what Hugh and Keith cared about before adulthood. When their dreams of World Series glory finally died, they had to turn elsewhere with plans for their future. Suffice to say that as adults, their world broadened considerably.
Corruption, not Litter
A common metaphorical phrase for attacking corruption is engaged several times. “In his project to clean up the Coast, he had barely scratched the surface. Prostitution and gambling were still plentiful in the clubs.” The phrase “clean up the Coast” does not apply to those who leave more than footprints behind in the sand on Biloxi’s beaches. Cleaning up Biloxi is the centerpiece of the plot of the novel and the metaphor refers to bringing down the organized crime apparatus running the city.
Intoxicated by Inaction
The Biloxi that is presented in this novel is corrupt from top to bottom to the point that even the similes used to describe things are soaked in vice. “The mistrial calmed the Strip like a gin martini” compares the supposedly lofty and admirable processes of the judicial system not just to the mechanism of drunkenness, but to one of the painfully uninspired and cliched cocktails in history. Take special note that what intoxicated the city to the point of stupor is the lack of justice one way or the other; a failed attempt at jurisprudence.
The Darkness
It is not only vice that spreads like a contagion in a corrupt little town. Right behind vice, fast on its tracks, is gossip whenever anything remains unexplained or simply open to interpretation. “Another month passed, and another with no luck. But the digging caused gossip, and the gossip took on a life of its own. Rumors spread through the darkness.” Darkness is an almost absurdly fluid metaphor. It is capable of being utilized to describe any number of situations or circumstances in which evil or mystery hide. In this case, the darkness is a hiding place for both.
