Metaphor for the journey of Life
Life is compared to a journey with many winding paths. In Imperi, the paths are called 'snakes' and one had to walk on these 'snakes' to experience life. The term 'snakes' is used metaphorically to imply the troubles that one faces in life. The paths of the journey of life do drastically change the same way a snake sheds its old skin for a new one. Changes that take place in time are normally in the form of 'interruptions' as the author puts it. Besides, time is a factor in the changes that take place in life. Running for dear life in the face of a deadly war is an interruption on the path of life's journey.
Anthill filled with Smoke (Metaphor).
Kadie decides to collect the bones of villagers who died in the civil war in Imperi village. So many thoughts start crisscrossing in her mind regarding the essence of life and being. The author writes that her mind becomes an 'anthill filled with smoke' (pp. 7). This statement is a metaphorical reference to the many thoughts that were going through the mind of Kadie, and which were hard to consolidate.
Like a child caught making mischief (Simile).
Kadie meets a man doing the same thing she intended to do-collect the bones of the departed so that people returning to the village would be spared from the exhibition of such despair. The man is afraid of looking at Kadie for the condition she might be in. The war atrocities included amputations and other body disfigurements on the victims. When he does to not turn his eyes up from the ground, Kadie touches her on the shoulder urging him to look up. He also places his hand on that of Kadie. The author writes that he removed his hand 'like a child caught in mischief' (pp. 8).
Like a tadpole (Simile).
When one of the schools in the town reopens during the revival after the war, a man stands at the gate handing out flyers to encourage parents to enroll their children. His head is compared to tadpole; 'flattened head like a tadpole' (pp. 54).
