Heart in the Right Place (Metaphor)
While defending Amir's nephew Abe's support of an imam accused of fundraising to support terrorism, Emily says that Abe's "heart’s in the right place." In this figure of speech, Emily uses the metaphor of one's heart being in the right place to suggest that Abe is well-intentioned in his support of the imam, despite the possibility his support will appear naïve or incriminating.
Like Crack (Simile)
When Isaac and Jory arrive to the dinner party at Amir and Emily's apartment, they hand over a box from Magnolia Bakery, whose banana pudding dessert Jory describes as being "like crack." In this simile, Jory emphasizes the deliciousness of the dessert by comparing it to the habit-forming drug crack cocaine.
Fightin' Words (Metaphor)
While defending her interest in Islamic art, Emily suggests that if Islamic tradition was viewed in the West as being as influential as Greek and Roman culture, it would change the way people saw art and the world. Isaac responds by telling her "them’s fightin’ words." In this figure of speech, Isaac implies that Emily's words are deliberately provocative, as if she is looking to start a fight with her statement.
Doorway to Freedom (Metaphor)
Emily defends her use of Islamic forms as inspiration for her art by saying, among other things, that "the Islamic tiling tradition … is a doorway to the most extraordinary freedom." In this metaphor, Emily emphasizes the feeling of spiritual and artistic freedom evoked by Islamic tiling tradition by comparing the tradition to a doorway one can pass through.
Just Invited to the Party (Metaphor)
During the dinner party, Amir tries to convince Jory that they should establish their own law firm, as he believes Steven and Mort will never cede control of the company to minorities like them. Amir says: "That firm will never be ours. It’s theirs. And they’re always going to remind us that we were just invited to the party." Amir uses the metaphor of being invited to a party to illustrate his belief that people like him and Jory will be forever viewed as second class in the mainstream American legal profession: invited guests who will never become the hosts.
