Humiliation (Metaphor)
“Only the first step was hard”. As soon as everyone realized and accepted the fact that their chances to find some food were melting, they “gratefully accepted” a loose woman’s food. That step was their pride, a sense of dignity, a mix of shame and repulsion they felt towards her. A woman like the Dumpling was considered dirty, an embodiment of evilness. Only an untamable feeling of hunger made them reconsider their initial decision to keep away from the Dumpling’s basket. Tasty food and made them all forget about their own prejudices for an evening.
Rage (Metaphor)
The Dumpling hated Prussians with all ferocity that her passionate heart was capable of. All of them – without any exception – were her enemies, the beasts who came to destroy her country. The mere thought about any of them in her house made her “blood boil”. In spite of the fact that she was a woman of a big heart, kind and sweet-hearted, she nearly killed – strangled – a poor Prussian solider. She wanted to protect her home and – if she had such a chance – would definitely die for France.
Understanding (Metaphor)
The Dumpling loved Bonaparte as much as she loved France and that meant that she loved him immensely. When she heard Cornudet saying “scum Badinguet”, she “lost her temper.” As red as a cherry, she accused them of betrayal and told them to imagine themselves “in his shoes.” She was as a loyal guard dog, protecting the name she respected with ferocity. Although her fellow travelers had different opinions on that matter, they found her lover for both him and France endearing.
Stout (Simile)
In spite of the fact that she was “as round as a barrel” and “as fat as a pig,” Dumpling was a beautiful woman who always attracted both men's and women’s gazes. Her “stretched and shiny skin,” “the enormous bosom that bulged under her dress,” made her “desirable and sought after.” She was an embodiment of freshness, joviality of life, and love. Not to mention that the woman had “a rosy apple of a face, a peony bud just bursting into bloom” and a pair of “magnificent dark eyes.”
Fainted (Simile)
Not every person in the coach was willing to share food with a prostitute. In spite of tiredness and a hard emptiness in a stomach, they refused to give in. However, the task was proving to be more difficult with every passing minute. Delicious smells, sounds of chewing and swallowing, and blissful expressions on diners’ faces drove the rest of them mad. For instance, the manufacturer’s young wife “lost consciousness”. She was “as white as the snow outside.”
