Names Hang to Your Bones (Metaphor)
At the beginning of the book, Moth comments on her peculiar name, which her parents gave her. She figures it would be pointless to change it now, saying: "Given or replaced, names hang to your bones like forever suits." In this metaphor, Moth emphasizes the permanence of a person's name by likening names to outfits we wear so long that they adhere to our skeletons. Moth implies that even if she changed her name, "Moth" would continue to be associated with her because it is part of her identity.
Names Slouch On Without Bodies (Metaphor)
While recalling her visit to a cemetery with her grandfather, Moth comments that "headstones remind us that names slouch on without bodies." In this metaphor, Moth uses figurative language to speak about the legacy of a person's name after they die. Because headstones and tombstones bear the names of the dead, it could be said that those names continue to exist in the world, even without bodies. Moth describes this continued life as slouching on to characterize the names' slow, depressed state of being now that they are no longer attached to a soul.
Broke In Half Like a Candy Bar (Simile)
Early in the story, Moth reveals the tragedy that killed her parents and brother: "Two summers ago our car broke in half like a candy bar on the freeway & we all spilled onto the pavement as crumbled as sticky caramel-peanut filling." In this simile, Moth compares the way their car was destroyed to a candy bar being split in half. She continues this description with another simile, likening her family's bodies to the broken candy bar's filling coming out. This euphemistic simile softens the harsh, gruesome reality of the crash, giving Moth safer language to use when recalling it.
The Choreography Is Choppy Water (Metaphor)
Ever since the accident that claimed her family's lives, Moth will not pursue her love of dance. At a school event, however, she watches fellow students dance and criticizes the performance in her head, thinking: "The choreography is choppy water instead of wind blowing through a field of wheat." In this metaphor, Moth refers to the choreography as "choppy water" to underscore how chaotic and unsettled the poorly synchronized movements seem. As someone trained in ballet, Moth believes that good dancing should be evocative of something peaceful and elegant, like wind moving through a field of wheat.
Timber Trees for Muscles (Metaphor)
When she first meets Sani, Moth is mesmerized by his unique good lucks and physique. She comments: "I don’t know why, with timber trees for muscles, Sani picks Drama over PE." In this metaphor, Moth speaks of Sani's muscles as timber trees to emphasize his size, strength, and sense of natural solidity. Considering he has such a strong body, she doesn't understand why he would choose drama class as an elective over physical education, where he could put his strength to better use.
