The Obelisk of History
"Clare, if you took a broomstick; or if you took an obelisk from Ancient Egypt, like Cleopatra's Needle, and made a pinprick at the tip - that would represent the history of mankind; the rest all came before us." (8)
These lines, spoken by Clare's father, Mr. Savage, emphasize the insignificance of man in the grand scheme of history. This metaphor serves as an example of his philosophy that excuses white imperialism on the argument that small, individual lives don't matter as much as the greater good.
Trees Like Harpsichords
"... like the harpsichord, the trees never managed to make the adjustment to the Jamaican climate." (23)
In this paragraph, the narrator describes a family property at Runaway Bay that had once been filled with trees, but they died off. This simile emphasizes the foreign nature of the trees (like a European harpsichord on an African island), as well as the unsustainable nature of their former presence in Jamaica.
The Scene on the Wallpaper
"The scene was repeated again and again across the wall; it was not a continuing story with a theme, like the Bayeaux tapestry her father had described to her" (24).
Clare and her father are exploring the old property at Runaway Bay that used to belong to them when they discover images on the wallpaper. These images simply repeat one central scene instead of being a continuing story like her father's Bayeaux tapestry. This comparison makes this scene fell like a deep, solid backdrop to Clare's life far back in her family history, but it's so insistent in its repetition that it may as well be happening in the moment.
A Well-Dressed Panhandler
"... when they became poor, their arrogance became to some, pathetic – like a man panhandling in an evening suit." (29)
The Savage family had a strong sense of dignity, and they held on to it despite their loss of money. Some, looking on their plight with distaste, noticed their dignity bordering on arrogance, and they noted how unbecoming an attitude it was for a poor family. The simile of "a man panhandling in an evening suit" serves to emphasize the juxtaposed nature of this situation.
Slashes on the Rosetta Stone
"Maybe there were signs marked on the walls each time they heard a shout – like the slashes on the Rosetta Stone, which she had learned about in school." (32-33)
At this point in the novel, Clare is musing upon the nature of the old family house. She wonders if it keeps a long, objective record of everything that goes on in there, less biased that the accounts of those who lived there. Clare imagines that the house might keep a record of the shouts that happened within its wall, comparing these slashes to the Rosetta Stone, which was an important archaeological find for decoding Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Both the house and the Rosetta Stone keep memories in their etchings, a romantic notion.
Significance
These comparisons draw a line between the experiences of the individual and the group, emphasizing how larger historical and social movements both influence and reflect the formation of the individual's identity.
