Comedy
One of the best uses of the comparative qualities of similes is the use of humor. "Well, I shaved it one time and I looked like a skinned cat so I grew it back." This funny comparison is in response to a character famously sporting a mustache. The image of the shaved feline is funny, but also offers insight into the obsession with image within the world of music.
Camila
Metaphor is engaged to emphasize the defining attributes of the character of Camila. "She was a force to be reckoned with. She got what she wanted...She was no wallflower. You just had to be paying attention to see it." This is another example of the effectiveness of using very simple metaphorical imagery to offers in-depth insight. Calling someone a force typically implies a kind of aggressive behavior. The use of the wallflower metaphor undoes this expectation.
Lyrics
The book closes with a collection of lyrics to songs. Metaphor is used heavily. "The ugly you got in you Well, I got it, too," opens a song titled "This Could Get Ugly." The song "Young Stars" closes with "We only look like young stars / Because you can’t see old scars." The emphasis upon metaphorical language in the lyrics rather than more direct and literal expressions perhaps offers a clue as to why the band could stay together for the long run.
Daisy Jones
Daily Jones herself offers a philosophical musing on the secret power of songs to so heavily influence society. "Music can dig, you know? It can take a shovel to your chest and just start digging until it hits something." The image of digging away at all one's defense mechanism and protective facades applies not just to music, however. This assertion by Daisy could also be easily applied to the type of non-fiction literary form this novel attempts to replicate. Oral histories provide multiple perspectives that also works to slowly chip away until an honest truth is revealed.
Love Is
Billy is Camila's less than faithful boyfriend. The lack of faithfulness may spring from his foundational philosophy regarding love. "Love is forgiveness and patience and faith and every once in a while, it’s a gut punch." The metaphor at the end undoes the assertion at the beginning in a way that conveys the fundamental nature of the person saying it. Again, it is a common and familiar usage, but then these are rock musicians, not poets.
