Philosophical Metaphor
Nobel laureate Saramago is a literary author; his prose is dense, often difficult and usually quite beautiful. The average reader is likely to confront as many metaphors on a single page of his writing as they do in an entire chapter of the latest best seller. Indeed, some sentences in The Cave appear to be entirely constructed of metaphor. Those with a passion for artistic writing will be thrilled to come across a philosophical musing like the following at least once every page or two:
“in life's circumnavigations what for some is a gentle breeze, for others is a fatal storm, it all depends on the draft of the ship and on the state of its sails”
Metaphorical Foreshadowing
Some of Saramago’s metaphors are more prosaic, such as this early one which lays a description foundation which will prove to be of immense significance as the narrative plays out:
“Between the shacks and the first city buildings, like a no-man's-land separating two warring factions, is a large empty space as yet unbuilt on”
Life as a Dog
In describing the manner of a dog who barks at any surprise because he has no way of knowing whether it will be good or bad, the author compares the behavior of dog toward its owner to make a metaphorical point about economic status”
“a master is in some ways like the sun and the moon, we must be patient when he disappears and wait for time to pass”
Not for the Faint of Heart
At this most obsessively metaphorical, Saramago’s writing is not for the faint of heart. Or beginning readers. Or those just learning English. He is not afraid to show off his mastery, but after reading this display, some readers may be afraid to go on:
“Compared with the instantaneous speed of thought, which heads off in a straight line even when it seems to us to have lost its way, because what we fail to realize is that, as it races off in one direction, it is in fact advancing in all directions at once”
Simple Simile
When the plot calls for it, on the other hand, the author can streamline his aesthetics and narrow the focus to what needs to be said. The plot of this novel is heavily dependent upon an understanding of pottery and so the metaphor is straightforward:
“earthenware is like people, it needs to be well treated”
