Zeus's Scepter (Metaphor)
While visiting Mark one last time, Weber notices that Bonnie has "planted a twig in his hands, a garden Zeus's scepter." This metaphor is used to show how Mark appears momentarily mystical while also emphasizing the lengths Bonnie is willing to go to to make Mark happy.
Like Pheasants from a Gunshot (Simile)
While questioning his friends Tommy and Duane about the accident, Mark gets increasingly animated: "Mark took off, fragments of words scattering like pheasants from a gunshot." This simile suggests the "scattered" quality of his thoughts and speech. It also returns to the bird imagery that recurs throughout the novel.
The Slap (Metaphor)
At one point, while talking about trying to save various bird species, Daniel speaks sharply to Karin. She says that he talks a lot about the essence of nature. He says that with millions of species facing extinction, people can't be too choosy about their personal lives. The narrator notes, "The words reproached her. She felt the slap." The metaphor of the words being a "slap" indicates how dismissively Daniel spoke to her in that moment.
A Cloaked Priest (Metaphor)
The narrator makes the following comparison while describing the cranes in the opening of the book. "The blood-red head bows and the wings sweep together, a cloaked priest giving benediction." The metaphor of the crane being like a priest reinforces the idea that they are solemn and intelligent creatures.
Like Juncos (Simile)
While out in nature with Daniel, Karin is described in the following way: "Side by side, they tracked back eastward, like foraging juncos." This simile, comparing them to juncos, a species of North American songbird, suggests that they are more in tune with the natural world at that moment. It also depicts them as looking around with the careful focus for which juncos are known.
