Like a Pocket Turned Inside Out, Empty of Coins (Simile)
Ma Lou explains how going to Catholic school separated her from her mother’s gods. At school, she learned to read, count, and converted to Catholicism. While initially she believed this made her lucky, later on she comes to question this logic saying, “In other ways, it made me poor, like a pocket turned inside out, empty of coins.” Ma Lou compares herself to an empty pocket to illustrate how a formal education severed her from traditional knowledge and beliefs. Being separated from her roots left her feeling empty and spiritually poor.
We Were the Crumbs (Metaphor)
Sonia describes the moment when the earthquake struck: how the ground swayed and undulated as if it was a carpet being shaken to clear off the crumbs after a meal. She continues saying, “we were the crumbs, lifting, weightless.” Comparing herself and Dieudonné to something as insignificant as crumbs highlights the force of the earthquake. The force was so powerful that they were thrown around with as much ease as one would a crumb left on a carpet.
A Sardine in a Can (Metaphor)
During the earthquake, Leopold gets trapped in an elevator. He describes feeling like he was “trapped, a sardine in a can, involuntarily committed to solitary confinement.” Chancy uses a metaphor to describe Leopold’s situation. The metal walls of the elevator have twisted in on themselves and it is as if Leopold is sealed inside a large metal can. Leopold is helpless to get out so he is forced to pass the time alone, hoping people will come to rescue him.
Werewolves Bathed in Moonlight (Metaphor)
Life in the internally displaced people’s camp becomes increasingly dangerous. Taffia experiences this first hand when she is raped by a group of boys on her way back from the latrine. With unease, she watches as her own brother, Paul, joins one of these roving groups of young men. Describing Paul’s transformation, Taffia says, “The acts under cover of dark, in unexpected circumstances, anointed them with dreaded superpowers: they became werewolves bathed in moonlight.” This metaphor captures the danger and fear that these groups of boys represent for her and others in the camp. Werewolves are shrouded in mystery, stalking their victims under cover of night. Many of these groups of aimless young men are similar. They wander the camps at night, taking what they please. As a young woman, Taffia is particularly vulnerable which only adds to her dread and gives these groups an almost supernatural power.
Scuttling in Like a Crab (Simile)
Leopold achieves success in his drug trafficking business, earning money, power, and access to sectors of society that had previously been off-limits to him. However, this access is conditional. Leopold describes himself in these spaces, “scuttling in like a crab, startled and anxious, crawling back and forth on the edges of its claws.” Leopold understands that, although he has gained access, his presence is only tolerated because he can provide drugs that the elite in these circles want. He remains an outsider and is never truly accepted. To highlight this, Leopold compares himself to a crab: an animal few admire, that crawls low to the ground, darting about. This is how Leopold feels as he navigates these spaces, never relaxed or truly at home.
