The Fountain
The title object of this novel is a metaphor. It is also referred to as "sludge fountain" and the specific details of its literal aspect are kept a mystery for most of the story. Poop fountain ultimately is revealed to be part of the mechanism of sewage disposal at the local water treatment facility.
The Poop
The appeal of the fountain is not the smell, but the sight. "More chocolate water — this stuff looked like that dark chocolate you sometimes get at Christmas." Metaphorical imagery is used several times in the story to compare the poop in the fountain to chocolate. The comparison is made only on a visual basis, however, as it definitely has no similarity to the smell of chocolate.
Freddie's Laugh
A somewhat unpleasant simile is used for the identifying attribute of one particular character. "Then he laughed this crazy hacking laugh like my mother’s friend who is a chain-smoker." The laughter comes from Fred Swenson, the plant manager, upon finding the main characters covered in sewage. A little later it will be shortened to "smoker laugh" as a way of cementing this aspect of his personality.
Marilla's Tedium
A character named Marilla suffers under the combination of strict parents and having a younger sister. The consequence of this combination is illustrated metaphorically. "She says that if she has to watch The Lion King with her little sister one more time she’ll barf." This reference to vomiting characterizes the tedium of her daily existence which is signified by extreme boredom. It also foreshadows her desire to rebel against parental authority.
Economics
An important aspect of the background setting of this story is the lower economic status in which the main characters live. This is especially true of the narrator. "Our headquarters are in the Qwikpick break room, which is upstairs and practically as big as my whole trailer." The generally negative stereotyping of people who live in trailers is directly addressed in the novel elsewhere. This description of the breakroom further underlines the financial status of the narrator.
