Fallen asleep
In this metaphor, Jack describes how after his parents' death the dynamics of the house changed: "The house seemed to have fallen asleep." He describes the house as having "fallen asleep" which emphasizes how the house feels empty without his parents.
Path simile
Jack describes how his father used to get annoyed at his brother for walking along the path: "It annoyed him to see Tom walking straight up the side of the rockery using the path like a short flight of stairs." Here he uses a simile to describe how his brother used the path.
The family home metaphor
The house becomes a metaphor for the children's desire to preserve their childhood and their memories. However, throughout the text, the house becomes a metaphor for their trauma, as they begin to feel suffocated and claustrophobic in the house.
The burial metaphor
The burial of their mother becomes a metaphor for the fact they are trying to pretend her death didn't happen and are therefore metaphorically burying her death in their minds.
