Diligent (Metaphor)
The actors and actresses of the Laurel Players were not professionals, but they loved acting and were willing to sacrifice their free time in order to have an additional rehearsal. Even the director, the man who had never really believed that they would be able to success, noticed how diligent they were, that they all “were putting your hearts into your work”.
Temperamental deficiency (Metaphor)
Frank Wheeler is not a perfect man. Just like any other person, he has to deal with various problems caused by “loose strands of his character”. These traits “had kept him dreaming and lonely during school years and even later among soldiers”. Of course, later on, these traits made him a really popular and charming lad but – as it turned out to be later – he proved to be unable to get rid of other “loose strands” fully such as his short temper and selfishness.
Nervous (Metaphor)
One might think that adultery is a perilous adventure, but it is not always so. Frank feels extremely nervous thinking about it. When he approaches Maureen’s desk, “his heart is in his mouth”. He didn’t know what to say and how to behave, not to mention that he was feeling slightly guilty.
Annoying (Simile)
Frank was struggling to keep his temper under control. That terrible quarrel with April and awful atmosphere in the house made his task even more difficult. While he was working in the yard, the children were sitting near him, asking questions and babbling. Their voices were “as insidiously torturing as the gnats”. Their endless questions made his blood boil with anger.
Awkwardness (Simile)
The Wheelers and the Campbells were not friends; they just ended up spending time together, because they belonged to the same generation and hadn’t a big choice of friends. In spite of that, they had fun from time to time. But that one meeting wasn’t successful. Everyone seemed to be slightly bored, nervous and irritated. “A silence as thick as water” reigned in the room, for no one knew what to say.
Comfort (Simile)
Frank’s and April’s relationship has been always a rocky one but they managed to establish certain rules to make it more bearable for both of them. Soon enough, these rules were “as familiar as an unbecoming comfortable old coat”.
