Metaphor for Meaninglessness
Benna takes on a number of odd jobs, being a jack-of-all-trades but master of none. She mostly occupies her time by being either a poet or a musician, and she isn’t terribly skilled at those jobs either. Her lack of mastery and permanence, her general wishy-washy-ness concerning her choices of employment, all these are metaphorical for Benna’s perception of life—her life—as a whole; that is to say that her life is a largely meaningless mishmash of random events that she either enjoys or endures for a season at a time.
Metaphor for Motherhood
Benna’s imaginary daughter, Georgianna, is a metaphor for her what she consents to be a meaningful component of being a woman: motherhood. Actually, more than a metaphor for motherhood it is actually what she believes to be an acceptable substitute for it since she had passed up the opportunity to take part in it by choosing to have an abortion done. Georgianna is metaphoric for the meaning and purpose she derives from motherhood; so in a very odd way, she is a metaphor for hope and redemption for her. “Having” her gives her great joy and gives her great fulfillment even if that means merely pretending, albeit very intently, to be an actual mother.
Metaphor for Uncomfortable Realities
Darrel is a Vietnam veteran and an African-American man. Benna’s interactions with him changes her outlook upon race relationships and brings this uncomfortable reality to the fore of her life. Because of Darrel Benna is now aware that there are other people too that hurt and go through a completely different form of isolation, for an entirely different set of reasons, that she does. Unlike Benna who uses her vast imagination to cope with the bitter realities of life Darrel faces them head-on, for better or worse. In doing this he becomes a metaphor for the uncomfortable, unpleasant realities that permeate the characters’ lives and how, despite all Benna’s childish efforts, cannot imagine these realities away.
Metaphor for Hopelessness
Despite the breakup Gerald’s death does send ripples of crushing grief into Benna’s life. This is not just because of the loss of a person that she had shared an intimate portion of her life with but also because of the realization that even with Gerald in her life he still did not give her the color and meaning that she had been searching for so desperately; Gerard and his death are metaphoric for hopelessness. His sudden death crystalizes this realization and brings her loneliness into the fore with the force of a sledgehammer.
Metaphor for Isolation
Benna’s best friend, Eleanor, is her partner in grousing about what they call “white people problems.” It is also important to note that Benna’s best friend, like her daughter, is completely fictional. These so-called problems were matters that would seem trivial to the casual observer but in reality the issue of Benna’s isolation, her inability to form lasting social bonds, and her inability to cope with harsh realities of life prove to be a real and present danger. A danger so real and so close that she had to create a friend for herself to help process these matters with her and so Eleanor becomes a metaphor for Benna’s loneliness and isolation.
