Above the Shop
The narrator quickly informs the reader that she and her family live in a place referred to as “Above the Shop” despite the fact that much of the living quarters are actually on exactly the same level as the shop itself. But that’s nothing compared to the first really prime metaphor of the narrator which situates the conditions of living with her parents quite explicitly and efficiently:
“As well as being a geographical location, ‘Above the Shop’ is also a self-contained, seething kingdom with its own primitive rules and two rival contenders for the crown – George and Bunty.”
The Past
The narrator—Ruby—and the eldest of her sisters—Patricia are at consequential odds on the philosophical nature of time. It is a disagreement best debated in metaphorical terms:
“`The past is what you leave behind in life, Ruby,’ she says with the smile of a reincarnated lama. ‘Nonsense, Patricia,’ I tell her as I climb on board my train. ‘The past’s what you take with you.’”
The Elusive Allusive Metaphor
Some metaphors work very effectively through the utilization of reference; an allusion can either be a metaphor by itself or add a little zip and zing to the meaning. Of course, this zip and zing is highly dependent upon the proximity to universality of recognition. For instance, unless a reader knows how Logie Baird, the metaphor really kinds of falls apart.
“‘That’s a lovely television set,’ Auntie Gladys says appreciatively to Bunty when Babs leads her back into the room and Bunty glows a little and simpers, ‘Thank you,’ as though she had been a handmaiden to Logie Baird in another life.”
“A Cupboard of Light”
This particular metaphor—in exactly the same phrasing—is used twice for two completely different things…unless you strictly adhere to Einstein’s theories. In fact, however, cupboard becomes a kind of recurring metaphorical image through the book, but perhaps it would be better to check out the “Symbols” section for further study. For the moment, focus on these two examples of directly metaphorical language.
Chapter One draws to a close with this observation by the narrator: “The future is like a cupboard full of light and all you have to do is find the key.”
Meanwhile, in Chapter Thirteen (just before the conversation about what the past is mentioned above, actually), this particular observation is made by the narrator: “The past is a cupboard full of light and all you have to do is find the key that opens the door.”
Just in case it somehow has not been made clear: time is a really big deal in the novel. In fact, the very opening lines present the image of clock striking midnight.
The Lost Property Cupboard Theory
Believe it or not, but there actually is a very direct and tangible link between the novel’s obsession with time and its many mentions of cupboards. (Many mentions!) And, fortunately, the narrator chooses not to be ambiguous or play it coy with this association:
“This is my Lost Property Cupboard theory of the afterlife – when we die we are taken to a great Lost Property Cupboard where all the things we have ever lost have been kept for us – every hairgrip, every button and pencil, every tooth, every earring and key, every pin (think how many there must be!).”
Since a cupboard typically tends to have shelves, the metaphor does not just stop with things: the lower shelves contain more ephemeral matter like dreams, thoughts and little things almost immediately forgotten in time.
