Simile: Mr. George
Marie has to occasionally leave Sylvie with someone when she takes care of her son Johnny, and one of those people is Mr. George, a neighbor. Sylvie describes him thusly: "At least Mr. George was one of us and harmless as an aloe plant" (27). An aloe plant is an apt comparison with the quiet, docile, slow-moving, elderly man. He represents safety and sameness for the Beaudoin family, which in turn means comfort in an oftentimes harsh and unforgiving world.
Metaphor: Edna
Bing uses a powerful metaphor to convey how distraught his mother is when it comes time for the two of them to flee his father: "She was a soldier screaming a battle cry before doing the deed of murder" (38). As she packs and rushes about, she is fiercely crying and screaming like a soldier, and the "deed of murder" is the killing of their family unit that includes Bing's father. This is a necessary act, one that will keep her and Bing safe. The violence and frenzy contained in this metaphor reveal just how crucial it is that Edna and Bing leave.
Metaphor: Laura
When Cory starts yelling at Laura and threatening her, she becomes almost like a robot: "All the switches in her body had suddenly turned off" (121). This is a powerful metaphor because it reveals how Laura has had to learn to adapt to protect herself, if not physically then emotionally. Her "switches" of movement, emotion, and fragility are turned off, and she becomes immobile, her senses gone. This is the only effective recourse for a child in her situation, and for the reader, it is a deeply troubling moment.
Simile: Sylvie's Dad
Sylvie loves her father even though he has caused her family a great deal of stress. With this new injury as a result of his carelessness, he is at home almost all the time and Sylvie gets to spend time with him. Though she knows he has let her down, she still finds some comfort in his presence. One day when he falls asleep, she listens to his body: "It sounded like I was swimming and listening to the sounds of water beneath the surface of my father" (138). It is a soft, intimate, and somewhat bittersweet moment, with the simile presenting an image of ease and beauty when we know that Sylvie's father rarely provides her with anything like that.
Metaphor: Christy
Sylvie's mother is critical of Christy, commenting, "That girl is on the express train to trouble" (205). It is an effective metaphor, for we picture Christy hurtling toward trouble as fast as a train, unable to disembark or alter her course. While Marie is a bit derisive towards her neighbor, Hernandez is ultimately sympathetic to Christy. Through the eyes of Michelle and Sylvie, we see that Christy struggles with poverty, self-confidence, and the desire to be loved, and that her circumstances seem to almost doom her to repeat her bad choices.
