Darkness
Darkness has become increasingly omnipresent as a metaphor since the revelations of the atrocity exhibitions within Nazi Germany. “Behind his eyes, darkness reigned.” This usage of the term is particularly ubiquitous in fiction. The meaning being conveyed here is ambiguous but clear. The details of what constitutes the darkness behind a character’s eyes do not need to be spelled out. What is important to understand is that this darkness is synonymous with evil.
Snowflakes
Snowflakes are engaged as a metaphor for memories rather than political opposition in this novel. Snowfall caught in a character’s mouth “melted like a pleasant memory, fleeting and insubstantial.” The simile is comparing the delicate properties of frozen water falling from the sky to maintaining memories. Both are subject to evaporating over time. Both are presented as beautiful in the moment but constructed of fragile material.
Physical Characterization
A great many of the utilizations of similes in the novel are put toward the purpose of physical description of character. A typical example is the description of “a man with a birthmark as dark as a splash of wine across his nose.” This use of metaphorical language is particularly effective because it is easy enough to picture in a reader’s mind. One can quite efficiently construct an image of a dark red mark on the man’s nose that looks like a blot of spilled liquid. In this case, the specific reference is wine, but a younger reader could just as easily imagine it as a spilled grape juice.
Setting
Another popular use for the comparative capacity of the simile is describing setting. “He knew that the forest extended westward in a great tongue of trees.” In this case, the comparison is a bit more complex than the birthmark. The simile requires the reader to construct an unusual topography in which a grove of trees extends outward to resemble a tongue. This image may require a bit more imagination than seeing a splash of liquid in one’s mind, but the idea of a tongue is easily applied.
Dragons
The centerpiece of the book series to which this novel belongs is the existence of dragons. The significance of these creatures is conveyed through metaphorical language. “Dragons are the lifeblood of the land, Kingkiller!” This quote goes on to insist that dragons are actually the very source of magic, and that magic is foundation of all that is good in the land. This metaphorical comparison suggests that without dragons, all existence would literally be drained of the power which gives life.
