Like They Never Saw You
"What burns me is how you meet one of them in the PX or downtown somewhere and they look past you like they never saw you." - Lewis (Chapter 3)
In this scene, Lewis is complaining about all the other army men in the barracks, who pretend like they don't know him when they meet out on the street. This quote reveals Lewis's desperate desire for connection along with his inability to do so because of his irritating attitude. This simile is a sad one, underscoring Lewis's pitiable situation and the unwillingness of others to interact with him.
Lewis's Baby Hand
"Hubbard stared at the hand Lewis was shaking at him. It was beet-red and so bloated that you couldn't see his knuckles anymore. It looked like an enormous baby's hand, even to the crease around the wrist." (Chapter 3)
Lewis's hand has been injured by nettles, and it looks like infection has set in. The swollenness of his hand is almost comical in its severity, and this simile highlights that fact by comparing it to that of a baby. This figurative language, however, has a deeper meaning: Lewis's mental development is actually that of a young boy, having never really matured, and this is a visual representation of that fact.
Dropping Like Flies
"Men dropped like flies around all around me but at least they died in a good cause." - Deputy Chief Ellingboe (Chapter 3)
In this scene, the Deputy Chief is attempting to connect with the soldiers at the ammo dump, trying to win their trust in order to convince them to leave to ensure their safety. This simile is an attempt to make the soldiers believe that he has more battle experience than they do and thus respect him, and he adds the part about the good cause as an attempt to make himself look like a good Samaritan, doing this solely for the benefit of the soldiers. It's true, but they reject his offer all the same.
Insect Rain
"The air was full of insects flying away from the fire, all kinds of insects, so many it looked like rain falling sideways." (Chapter 3)
As the fire grows and the wind shifts, smoke drifts through the ammo dump, and insects fleeing the fire fly through the air, so many that it looks like rain, but falling horizontally instead of vertically. This simile paints a vivid image of the scene, one that almost places the reader at the ammo dump with the soldiers.
Penguins
"As they marched they swayed from side to side like penguins." (Chapter 4)
After a day of partying and relaxation, many of the men from the barracks have terrible sunburns, causing them to walk stiltedly in an attempt to minimize pain. This gait makes them look like penguins, emphasizing the foolishness of their actions the previous day along with the normalcy of the men in the army who must deal with such terrible threats.
