Stone-faced
Thomas was the employer of Gifty’s mother before his death. His daughter did not like him because of how badly he treated people. She did not feel any remorse for his father’s death but was rather relieved from this statement that says, “She was stone-faced, staring at her father in his casket with an unmistakable look of contempt.” The phrase stone-faced has been used metaphorically to show the emotionless the daughter felt at his father’s funeral. It has also been used to show the magnitude by which he hated his father.
Heavy heart
Pastor John as Gifty remembers would finish his Sunday sermon by saying “Now, I know someone out there is sitting with a heavy heart.” The phrase heavy heart is a metaphor meaning sadness, depression, and feeling burdened. He urged his congregation who felt burdened to seek Jesus Christ for He would relieve them. The phrase stresses the troubled state of one’s heart, especially as a result of something unusually bad happening.
Quick as a blink
Gifty’s mother was suffering from depression and on that particular night wandered away from her house alone in her pajamas. Gifty was inspecting her wrist while asking her if she had taken something that perhaps may have contributed to her wandering alone. She replied so fast as stated in the phrase, “she shook her head, quick as a blink.” The simile is used to exaggerate the speed of her response which was very fast. Blinking usually lasts about a third of a second which indicates how fast the response was. The simile has also been used to show her mother not wanting to be bothered any further and therefore responded quickly.
A weed in spring
They were at one of Nana’s soccer games when he noticed how tall Nana had become. The statement “and he had already come into his growth like a weed in spring.” is a simile that has been used to compare his growth to that of a weed in spring. Weeds were known to germinate during spring. The simile emphasizes how fast and tall Nana had grown. He was only ten years yet was taller than all the boys his age. Just like the weed’s growth was immense in spring so was Nana’s growth at ten years of age.
Peach
The gossip in the church about the pastor’s daughter, Mary about how she begot her child has been declared juicy. The story was so interesting it has been compared to a peach fruit in the statement, “That gossip was as juicy as a peach.” Peaches are known for their juiciness, sappiness, and fleshy. The simile emphasized how captivating and engrossing the story was, given he was the pastor’s daughter. The simile also highlights the irony of church gossip being that interesting given it is in the church that people believed they were righteous and closer to God.
