Brittle As A Bamboo (Simile)
When she starts living with Nathan, Rukmani washes her garments in the river near their farm. She encounters several local women and learns that her husband was anxious in the lead up to Rukmani's arrival. One woman comments: "The fuss your husband made! Why, for weeks he was as brittle as a bamboo before it bursts into flame!" In this simile, the woman emphasizes Nathan's anxiety by comparing his tense state to a dry stick of bamboo.
Should Have Her Mouth Stitched (Metaphor)
After learning about the care Nathan took in personally constructing the hut in which they live, Rukmani asks Nathan about his effort. Nathan is annoyed that Kali was gossiping, calling Kali "an old chatterbox [who] should have her mouth stitched." In this metaphor, Nathan suggests that Kali talks so much that a surgical intervention to physically close her mouth is necessary. While he doesn't actually believe she should have her mouth stitched close, he uses the hyperbolic metaphor to convey his anger with Kali.
Nature Is Like a Wild Animal (Simile)
When a monsoon delivers a deluge of rain that drowns the rice crop, Rukmani comments: "Nature is like a wild animal that you have trained to work for you. So long as you are vigilant and walk warily with thought and care, so long will it give you its aid; but look away for an instant, be heedless or forgetful, and it has you by the throat." In this simile, Rukmani likens nature to an animal with a power that humans must harness and train, such as diverting river water to irrigate crops. However, the wildness of the weather, just like the wildness inherent to an animal, can be overwhelming if humans are not prepared.
Fire and Beauty in Her (Metaphor)
Early in the novel, Rukmani comments on Kunthi's habit of going into the town to attract the attention of men, despite being married. Rukmani says that men gossiped about her infidelity and wondered why her husband didn't impose limits on her freedom. Rukmani comments that these other husbands didn't understand what it was like to have a wife like Kunthi, calling her "a woman with fire and beauty in her." In this metaphor, Rukmani uses the term "fire" to speak of the strong sexual passion and defiant boldness Kunthi possesses.
Like Precious Jewels Into the Darkness (Simile)
On the night of Deepavali (Diwali), the Festival of Lights, Rukmani and her family gravitate to the center of their village to marvel at the fireworks going off all around them. Rukmani comments that "hundreds of small beacons were beginning to flash; now and then a rocket would tear into the sky, break and pour out its riches like precious jewels into the darkness." In this simile, Rukmani conveys the magic of the spectacle by comparing the tail of the fireworks to light-refracting gemstones glittering against a black background.
