Cool stone
Before John starts his journey to self-discovery, he has to ask for permission from his father. When he is granted permission, John has to go through a cleansing and purifying process that leaves him feel as if he is on fire. John however compares his soul with a cool stone to emphasize the idea that even if he was affected physically by the process, his desires and dreams remained the same.
Wind and Gods
Another comparison is between the Gods and the Wind and John compares the two in the beginning of the story. What he wants to highlight through this idea is that he feel the Gods’ presence in his life even though he can’t see them. But just like the wind, he can feel the way the Gods influence his life and thus he believes in them and in their power.
Like a fire in my bones
At one point, John mentions that his desire to learn more was like a fire in his bones, unstoppable and uncontrollable. By comparing his thirst for knowledge with a fire, John transmits the idea that just like a fire is hard to control, his desire to learn more is hard to control as well. This also transmits the idea that John felt it was his destiny to pursue knowledge and to do everything he could to learn more and to become wiser.
Metaphor for the past
In the beginning, John was an irrational fear of the bones he sees inside the houses and buildings he searches for metal. In time however, his fear disappears and he even notes that some bones are so fragile that they disintegrate when they are touched. The bones are used in this context as a metaphor for the past and John’s fear of the bones stands for his fear of the unknown. But just like John can’t stay away from the bones and can’t stop himself from touching them, he is unable to keep himself from investigating his society’s past and learning more about it.
Becoming a man
There is a distinct episode when John feels as if he grew up and was no longer a simple boy but rather a grown man ready to take care of himself. This happened when John touched the bones of a dead person inside one of the houses he was searching. Then, John felt as if he was finally a priest and was considered an adult by those around him and by society in general.
