“Witchy people”
“Witchy people” is the story’s metaphor—used by some townsfolk—to describe, well, those who are different that they understand. “Witchy” is a fairly elastic metaphor; it can mean being born with six fingers or just the belief by another that you can put yourself into a trance. Within the context of the novel, being witchy is a fairly big deal.
The Girl in the Tent
A major character is introduced amid some great suspicion and at first is known as the girl in the tent. That she is going to be rather unique and idiosyncratic—not to mention essential—is perhaps hinted at by the robust use of metaphorical imagery to initially characterize her:
“With the lake shimmering and the summer sunlight making room for her, she looked like a figure living in darkness. Some premonition, dream, he hadn’t even thought to have. Bright flashes cut into his eyes as he looked at her, distorting his vision. She seemed to be standing in a halo of shadow.”
Darkness
Just speaking generally, the author reveals a flair and a taste for tweaking the expectations and conventions of certain metaphors. One of the most prevalent single metaphors in post-19th century fiction is “darkness” and it takes some doing to present it in a way that is unusual, but the author rises to the occasion as M.C.’s mother is attempting to rouse him from slumber at an ungodly early hour:
“`Come on now, M.C.,’ his mother said, `we’ll miss the sunrise!’ Whispering, she was darkness bent over him, pulling at the blanket.”
Ben...Sitting
Another vivid example of the author’s unusual and imaginative use of common metaphorical images to describe something uncommonly is a simple single sentence paragraph that creates a tangible image of a boy doing nothing more than sitting:
“Ben sat dangling above the stream, odd-looking and shriveled, festering on the vine.”
Yodeling
Knowing how to yodel is another big deal. It is a form of communicating over distance that requires subtlety and artful craftsmanship that one might suspect. Of course, there is a good reason for such ignorance:
“For a yodel cry was like no other sound. It was a power of breath and voice. Like the lake, it was a magic belonging only to those of the hills.”
