Total control (Metaphor)
The CorpSeCorp was that kind of an organization which was interested in gaining as much control as possible. They were “consolidating their power” from the very beginning of their foundation. When “the local police forces collapsed for lack of funding”, no one could even imagine how dangerous the CorpSeCorp could become. They “were sending their tentacles everywhere”, controlling almost every aspect of people’s lives.
A desperate look (Metaphor)
As soon as Toby’s mother got sick, everything went horribly wrong for the whole family. To pay hospital bills, Toby’s father had to sell his solar car and then the furniture. Unfortunately, he could not get a sufficient sum of money. He said that people “could smell desperation on you” and then they could take an advantage. He meant that everyone knew he needed money badly, so they were in advantage and always tried to bargain with him to reduce the price.
The avalanche of problems (Metaphor)
When Toby’s father committed suicide, she understood that there was no other way than hide his death. They were not allowed to have weapons at home. The CorpSeCorp banned it a long time ago. She also couldn’t sell their house, for they would start asking questions about her father, then they were going to find out about rifle, “thus unleashing a whole dumpster-load of garbage onto her own head”.
Black vultures (Simile)
After the Waterless Flood, the black vultures had a real feast, for there was plenty of food for them to eat. Toby saw them roosting on hydro poles fan out their wings to dry them. They were “opening themselves like black umbrellas”. This simile indicates similarity between huge wings of vultures and black umbrellas.
Farmer’s hands (Simile)
Toby’s life changed greatly after she had joined the God’s Gardeners. She had to learn to live in harmony with nature. After the Waterless Flood she had to remember things she learned while staying with the God’s Gardeners. She started gardening again and her own hands started looking “like roots”, for she had to work with soil a lot.
Reclaiming (Simile)
The Waterless Flood didn’t only kill almost all people, it also changed the way the world looked. Toby had a chance to see how nature started reclaiming the Earth. For instance, a fancy pool with sparkling and clear blue water started looking “like a swamp” and frogs started living there. It started looking like something natural, not artificial.
