Shadows (Metaphor)
There are a lot of “ghosts on the street tonight.” There is “a giant moon in the eastern sky, low and orange.” It casts light on the asphalt, “light and shadows of the tree leaves and telephone wires.” This is a quiet summer night, the one that is perfect for strolling. The heat, noises and hastiness of the day die and peacefulness comes. Now, the narrator goes alone with the moon and shadows as his only company, and he doesn’t mind at all.
Humidity (Metaphor)
It is just six thirty in the morning and the protagonist is ready to go. He doesn’t want to spend more time at his friend’s house than necessary. The room is already bright and the day promises to be rather warm and sunny. He sets off. As soon as he closes the door behind him, he notices that it’s “already hot outside.” The air’s “loaded with water,” humidity and high temperature create an unbearable combination.
Attentive (Metaphor)
He sees her as she approaches him. He doesn’t want to talk to her and this feeling is mutual, but norms of politeness oblige them to exchange usual pleasantries. The woman “readjusts her face to look happy – surprised but happy.” He asks her about her kid and she asks about Claire and their kids. She also asks him if they found a place and promises to tell him if she finds something suitable. “I’ll keep my ears open,” she says.
A little friend (Simile)
Thomas Strawberry is his oldest son’s fish. The most frightening thing is that he, the protagonist, has “an emotional relationship” with it. He cares about Thomas more than he cares about himself. The fish got his name because “he looks like a strawberry.” This little red fish is his closest friend for now.
An elf (Simile)
X doesn’t look like a kid, and in fact he could get a part in a sci-fi movie. Unlike his father, he is “white,” his “bright blue-gray eyes” can fade “to green easily.” His eyes are the only part of him that at times looks “young, wild, and unfocused.” In the summer he is “blond and bronze – colored.” He looks “like a tan elf on steroids.”
C (Simile)
C is just like his father. He is a mild, not very talkative, kind-hearted boy. However, there are moments when he doesn’t look or sound like a child. His “rasp” made him sound “lie a junior bluesman.” One could think that it belongs a man who smokes at least a pack of cigarettes a day.
