Simile: Tom's Voice
In the first chapter of the book, Tom is said to have a "voice like thunder." This is from the perspective of Willie, who initially sees everything about Tom as large, loud, and overwhelming, when in reality, his voice is quite patient in tone. It only seems like a thunderclap to Willie because he expects adult authorities to be abusive, like his mother.
Similie: Willie Unpacking His Bag
As Willie unpacks after returning to his mother's house, he notes that "it felt as though he was stripping naked in front of her." By sharing his most treasured possessions and artwork with his furious mother, he feels like he is laying his soul bare. Letting her see the possessions that reflect the person he has become is a vulnerable position, leaving him more susceptible to be the target of her rage.
Simile: Tom's Nightmare
Tom has a terrible nightmare where he feels "as though he was being buried alive." The sensation that he is locked in a confined space with no air makes him feel like he is suffocating. This dream helps bring to his attention how Willie's soul is being buried—both literally, through being locked in the stairwell, and metaphorically, through undergoing abuse and torture.
Metaphor: The Coldness of Will's Mother
Will is riding the bus with his mother after what has been a very disappointing meeting with her. Rather than responding to Will's love, she speaks to him in the same derogatory, controlling way as before. When she puts an arm around him in order to play the part of loving mother in front of a stranger, Will feels nauseous; he "shivers at the iciness of his mother's rigid body." It is his mother's abusive character which gives him this feeling of coldness when she touches him. He knows she does not love him and can sense it in her body, even if it is not literally icy.
Metaphor: Geoff's Pipe and Photograph
At Geoff's cottage, Will is trying to draw portraits from a photograph of Geoff and his best friend who died in the war. He also sees Geoff's pipe, which was given to him by the same friend. Will is overwhelmed with the sense that these are not just things; that "they no longer seemed inanimate objects." Will is realizing how memories of loved ones, even after they have passed, can remain in physical items and give them life.
