Suicide (Metaphor)
"I felt that I was cutting my own throat by this." (10)
When Richard describes transferring from a pre-med program in order to study English literature, he uses the metaphor of suicide. The metaphor raises the theme of violent death and self-inflicted death in a novel that will be preoccupied with both (the murders of the farmer and Bunny, the suicide and suicide attempts of Henry and Francis). It also darkly foreshadows what the real impact of this change of program will be for Richard. Richard initially uses the metaphor because he thinks the consequences of becoming an English major will involve a less stable career path, and difficulty earning a living. He could never have predicted that this decision would actually lead him to be involved in murder, death, and trauma. The metaphor ties together how Richard's seemingly random decision has consequences that he could never have predicted.
A Bad Child (Simile)
"Henry paid the check while Bunny hung behind him like a bad child." (60)
After Bunny and Richard have an expensive lunch, Henry has to come and pay the bill because neither of them has any money. Richard describes the interaction by using a simile comparing Bunny to a misbehaving child. The simile shows that Richard does not respect Bunny the way that he respects the other Greek students, and thinks of him as simple and not that smart. However, the simile also highlights the complex power dynamic between Bunny and Henry. While a child lacks power in some ways, they have immense power because of the affection and care an adult feels towards them; likewise, while Henry gets exasperated with Bunny, he won't actually abandon him, or make him face the consequences of his behavior. Much like a child, Bunny both annoys the other Greek students, but also has a lot of power to manipulate them.
Thread of Crimson Smoke (Simile)
"undulating in the water like a thread of crimson smoke." (97)
Richard uses this vivid simile to describe the blood trickling from Camilla's foot after she cuts herself while swimming in the lake. This moment is important because it foreshadows the subsequent violent killing of the farmer; looking back, it's somewhat surprising that Richard would remember this minor injury so clearly, but since he never actually sees the bloody and violent events of the bacchanal, this blood imagery becomes a kind of placeholder in his memory, now intertwined with what he knows was going around the same time. While the incident is gory, Richard uses sensual and even somewhat erotic language in the simile, evoking his desire for Camilla. Comparing her blood to smoke might reflect the way his desire for her is burning or smoldering. Finally, the simile shows that Richard can still notice beauty in a moment where someone is suffering physical pain, and his focus on the picturesque nature of the bleeding rather than the pain that Camilla is in shows how his focus on aesthetics can cause him to lack empathy.
Boat (Metaphor)
"he floundered aimlessly, running on sandbars, veering off in all sorts of bizarre directions" (211)
This metaphor compares Bunny to a boat, and then describes the disorientation and confusion he experiences while blackmailing the other students in the period after the murder of the farmer. Bunny is not a strategic or intellectual person, and so like a ship lacking a captain or someone to navigate, he veers along chaotically in his attempts to exert power over the others. The metaphor cleverly allows Richard to hint at his belief that Bunny brought on his own destruction by likening him to a ship that is about to wreck. A ship that is floundering and running aground is likely to be destroyed, and thus Richard draws a parallel between Bunny's erratic behavior and his death. If Bunny had been more composed, he would not have alarmed the other students so much and they might not have felt the need to kill him.
Airplane Passenger (Simile)
"It was like walking into the cockpit of an airplane and finding the pilot and co-pilot passed out drunk in their seats." (521)
Richard uses this chilling simile to evoke the panic he feels as he watches the tension mount between Henry and Charles in the aftermath of Bunny's murder. Richard can be relatively calm immediately after the crime because he has a lot of faith in Henry. Richard has always looked up to Henry because of his poise, elegance, and keen intelligence. Rather naively, Richard assumes that Henry will be able to keep the conspirators safe because of these qualities. He also relies on the absolute trust and close bond between the classmates. Thus, when Richard sees Henry and Charles behaving erratically and emotionally, he has the sickening realization that the individuals in whose competence he trusted are not actually safeguarding him at all. Much like how an airplane passenger would be horrified but also at a loss for what to do, Richard realizes too late that his naïve faith in Henry has been misplaced.
