Treasures Like Middens (Simile)
At the beginning of the book, Hogan describes the tributes left to the octopus: “For the time it [the octopus] dwelt there, they brought offerings, even the first flowers of morning. The treasures built up like small middens." The comparison to middens (large piles of waste), suggests the sheer amount of these gifts as well as the haphazard manner that they are left.
Family History Tree (Metaphor)
In a description of life on the reservation, Hogan writes: “The houses, sitting here and there, hold people who have grown together, all with the same histories, like one tree with the same roots and fallen leaves. They have ancestors in common, most of them.” The tree metaphor underscores the strong ties of kinship between the residents in Dark River. The image of their shared roots simultaneously suggests their actual blood relations as well as the bond their families have as a tribe.
Heart Like a Stone (Simile)
After meeting him, Marco thinks of Thomas's heart as unreachable: “Marco thought, My father’s heart comes down a pathway like a stone.” This comparison to a stone gives the impression that Thomas is cold and unfriendly to Marco. Marco's view of him implies that he feels he will never connect with Thomas.
Howling Rock (Simile)
Hogan describes an ancient rock on the reservation in the following way: “Old Spirit Rock was formed by a war between wind and land. It was a place the old people wouldn’t go. At the very top, wind has shaped a hole into the rock and sometimes, when wind blows from the right direction, it is heard singing like a flute, sometimes a howl like the cannibal who wanted to swallow their people.” The shifting description of the rock sometimes sounding like a flute and other times sounding like a cannibal implies that the rock has mystical powers and an unpredictable nature.
Termite Mounds (Metaphor)
Thomas reflects on his time in Vietnam and thinks back on the cruelty of other soldiers: “His men killed the termite mounds which he thought most beautiful, like the land itself, and the termites would immediately begin to save the young and rebuild. In the same way the people tried to put their lives back together again and again, moving to a new place, going to the water if bombs were near, leaving if bombs were at the water, knowing there were land mines, trying to divine where they were, sometimes succeeding.” Here, he compares the Vietnamese citizens' efforts to survive to that of termites, as they continually relocate and rebuild. This metaphor suggests both their dire circumstances and also their careful methods.
