The Date (Simile)
"The date shut my mouth as if a key had been turned in a padlock fixed to my lips." (9)
William uses this simile the first time someone tells him the date, or at least the century, he has traveled to in the future. This vivid simile of padlock and key emphasizes both his surprise and his need to keep quiet until he gets his bearings.
Clothing (Simile)
"I should say that they were decently veiled with drapery, and not bundled up with millinery; that they were clothed like women, not upholstered like armchairs, as most women of our time are." (15)
One of the things William thinks about in the most detail is people's clothes. He is often surprised in the future at how lovely and seemingly expensive the clothing is that people wear, though the people of the 21st century explain to him that everything, including clothing-making, is treated as a fine art for all to enjoy. In this quote, William compares the dress of women in the 19th and 21st century; it is clear that he finds the dress of women in the future more pleasing since he compares women of the 19th century to upholstered furniture, perhaps as a comment on both the material choices of 19th-century women and the way they look stuffed into these materials.
Man (Simile)
"He was a man in the prime of life, but looked as happy as a child who has just got a new toy." (20)
William often compares people in the 21st century to children, something they themselves agree to, since happiness, freedom, and relaxation are not emotions confined to childhood in Morris's utopian future. In this quote, William describes Boffin, a minor character, and perhaps William himself could be said to be the toy in question.
People of the 19th Century (Metaphor)
“You know that according to the old saw the beetle gets used to living in dung; and these people, whether they found the dung sweet or not, certainly lived in it.” (92)
In this quote, Old Hammond extends upon an old saying to specifically refer to the people of the 19th century living in what he sees as a backward political and economic system. He uses this metaphor specifically when he and William are discussing the production of goods and attempts to speed and cheapen the process.
Old Hammond (Simile)
“As for old Hammond, he looked on them like an artist who has just painted a picture nearly as well as he thought he could when he began it.” (97)
In this quote, William describes Old Hammond’s happiness when he sees Dick and Clara looking happy and in love after a period of separation and heartache. It makes sense that Old Hammond is happy about this, but this quote shows that he also takes some responsibility for the situation, perhaps because he is related to Dick and perhaps simply because he has felt involved in patching things up between the two lovers since Clara has been living in the area with their two children. This quote also underscores the theme of art that weaves throughout the story, since almost everything is seen as art rather than work in 21st-century England.
