Metaphor for wealth
The colonel sent Lev and the other soldiers to search for eggs so his daughter could have a real weeding with a real cake. The colonel, even though he had money and a position of power, he could not secure a couple of eggs for his daughter. The eggs thus become here a metaphor for wealth. Only a few families had access to such luxury as eggs.
Just like Baba Yaga
Just after escaping from the giant and his cannibalistic wife, Lev compares them with Baba Yaga, a fantastic character in the Russian folklore, a woman who snatches children during the night. The comparison has the purpose here of highlighting the idea that Russia transformed into a place where the characters once considered as being myths became reality.
Lack of bowel movements
Kolya mentions time and time again his lack of bowel movement and it becomes something that characterizes him. The constipation can be however also seen as a metaphor for a lack of emotional response. In a way, the war made everyone be constipated from an emotional point of view and they all feel as if they will never be normal again, feeling fear and compassion for someone they knew and for someone who died.
Like foreplay
When Lev sees Kolya and Sonya talk, he compares their conversation with foreplay. This comparison shows that the subject they chose to discuss was something exciting for everyone in the room, something that could bring everyone satisfaction of the subject was discussed from the proper perspective and in the proper way.
Metaphor for humanity
Lev and Kolya remain emotionless when faced with danger and death but when they find the small boy with the chicken, they begin to feel compassion for him. Kolya offers the young boy the food he has, a grand gesture considering how hard it was to find food in the city. Kolya’s gesture can be seen here as a metaphor, implying Kolya’s humanity and his ability to feel compassion for another human being.
