“but gaze as though into a mirror” ( “Witness”)
This simile relates to the young boy’s sense of sight. Even though the boy gazes, his eyes cannot see. Thus, his gaze is vacant as he cannot decipher any images before his eyes.
“he unfurls his legs like a squid” ( “Witness”)
The word ‘squid’ signifies inoperative legs that cannot carry out the conventional function of moving. So, the boy squids as a way of adjusting to the reality of restricted movement.
“Sapphiric emptiness” (“Witness”)
This metaphor relates to the boy’s eyes. The word “Sapphiric” denotes that the boys’ eyes are blue, but the blue color is hollow. The word "emptiness" stresses the boy’s irremediable sightlessness.
“Like the gathering of wheat” (“Whither Thou Goest”)
Hannah speculates whether the course of gathering organs from the body of a dead man or one who is about to die is analogous to the process of reaping wheat. The assessment draws attention to the sensitivity of organ harvesting. Even though the deceased person from whom the organs are harvested cannot feel it, the remaining loved ones could be affected emotionally by the process that is comparable to the cutting of wheat from stalks.
The Metaphor of an Angel’s Smile (“Whither Thou Goest”)
After finalizing the hearing session, Hannah looks at Pope Henry who beams at her. Hannah likens Pope’s smile to that of angels as it is realistic and offers her guarantee that Tom is still flourishing. Pope Henry is Saintly as he aids Hannah to recognize her guilty pleasure which sets her at liberty henceforth.
“It was like holding a bird” (“Whither Thou Goest”)
Poe Henry uses this simile to explicate his outlook on holding Hannah so that she could listen to the heartbeat. Paralleling her to a bird demarcates Hannah’s emotional defenselessness that manifests the moment she acknowledges that Sam’s heart is not lifeless. Even though she is susceptible, as a bird would be while in the hand of its captor, Pope Henry does not exploit her.
