A Fly (Simile)
"...he sat on top of me much as a fly rests on a hill of dung."
Dog Woman uses this simile to describe a physical interaction between herself and Jordan when Jordan is a tiny baby. By comparing Jordan to a fly, and herself to a dung hill, Dog Woman emphasizes the difference in their size. She also uses an unflattering comparison to reveal that she is quite unattractive and unappealing. However, on a deeper level, the simile reveals the close if unusual bond between them. Flies love dung hills, and want to be close to them, even if humans often find them disgusting. As Dog Woman goes on to explain, dung hills also nourish flies and keep them alive, just as she lovingly nurtures Jordan. The use of the simile reveals Dog Woman's unconventional but also unapologetic perspective.
A Sea Voyage (Metaphor)
"I noticed a woman whose face was a sea voyage I had not the courage to attempt."
Jordan uses this metaphor when he first catches a brief glimpse of Fortunata and becomes obsessed with her. He compares her face to an intimidating sea voyage, revealing that he sees her as challenging and potentially impossible to obtain. The metaphor both reveals and subverts the obsessive pursuit that Jordan is going to engage in in order to find Fortunata: he is going to go on many sea voyages in search of her, and he is not afraid to attempt those voyages, even though he initially claims to be unwilling to attempt the sea voyage that she reminds him of. The metaphor thus communicates the full depth of how overwhelmed Jordan is when he first meets her: he is willing to attempt almost any actual voyage, no matter how dangerous, but loving her is the one prospect he finds intimidating.
Mountain Ranges, Cobbled Road (Metaphor)
"...his shoulder-blades were mountain ranges, his spine a cobbled road."
One of the dancing princesses speaks this metaphor as she recounts how she loved and desired a man who could not return her feelings. The metaphor is inserted within a long string of metaphors used to evoke the beauty of her beloved. The use of metaphors rather than literal description of his physical features shows that straightforward language is inadequate for conveying the depth of what she felt. This is one example of how love and desire are repeatedly shown to be beyond the limits of language. The metaphor also uses imagery of journeys, movement, and travel, which thematically links to Jordan traveling the world in search of his own beloved.
Diamonds (Simile)
"...tears that froze at once and lay on his cheeks like diamonds."
This simile occurs during the description of the execution of King Charles. Tradescant weeps as he watches, and the simile compares his frozen tears to diamonds. The simile highlights the idea of something rare and precious; Tradescant does not typically show emotion, so his tears are as rare as diamonds. The presence of these precious tears thus reveals how traumatic and sad the moment is. The simile comparing tears to diamonds is also appropriate for a moment when a king is being executed: Charles had previously enjoyed wealth and power, being literally decked in diamonds, but now the tears of those loyal to him are the only jewels he has.
Wild Red Roses (Simile)
"...the blood stained the snow like the wild red roses in the hedges."
Fortunata uses this simile to describe how she and her sisters prepared for their wedding. The princesses wounded their hands building the church where they would wed, and the simile compares their blood to red roses. The simile is poetic, comparing something somewhat grotesque (spilt blood) to something beautiful (roses). The simile also shows that a grim and even violent truth might be hiding behind traditional romantic endings; roses would be more commonly associated with weddings than blood, but the preparation for their marriages hurt the princesses so much that they were left bleeding. The simile also alludes to what the reader already knows: all of these marriages ended unhappily.
