Little Husband (Metaphor)
When Laye arrives in Tindican to visit his relatives, his grandmother lavishes him with affection, praise, and gentle reprimands. To emphasize his handsomeness and the rate at which he is growing up into a man, Laye's grandmother refers to her grandson as her "little husband." Her acquaintances also use the phrase. In this metaphor, "little husband" is used to compliment Laye by likening him to a charming man any woman would be proud to marry.
Fitted Out With New Feathers (Metaphor)
Whenever Laye visits Tindican, his grandmother assesses his thinness and reprimands him for not eating enough in the city. She says Laye can't leave her home until he has been "decently fitted out with new feathers." In this metaphor, Laye's grandmother uses a figure of speech to say that she wants to see Laye put on weight before he goes, comparing the transformation she anticipates to a bird growing a plump layer of new feathers.
Moved Like Tortoises (Simile)
As a child with short legs and a habit of getting distracted by the flora and fauna he passes, Laye needs four hours to walk from Kouroussa to Tindican—a journey that normally takes people two hours. When asked if Laye is overtired from the trip, the uncle who accompanied him remarks to Laye's grandmother that they "moved like tortoises" and so Laye will certainly be full of the energy needed to run around with his friends. In this simile, Laye's uncle likens their movements to tortoises, creatures known for their slow and steady pace.
He Needs the Whole Sky (Metaphor)
When harvesting rice alongside his uncle Lansana, Laye asks about the last time Lansana saw another of Laye's uncles, Bo. Lansana compares the always-roaming Bo to a bird flying from tree to tree and never settling in place. Unlike Lansana and other family members who stay in Tindican to farm their land, Bo "needs the whole sky." In this metaphor, Lansana suggests Bo must be allowed to move freely across the globe in the way a bird needs to have access to open sky. For this reason, Lansana doesn't keep track of Bo or make him stay at home.
Stable an Ox (Metaphor)
After harvesting rice for hours, Laye and his uncle excitedly run to eat the couscous the women have prepared. Laye complains he can't run as fast as his uncle, who teases him in response: "Don't you have a hole in your stomach? I could stable an ox in mine." In this metaphor, Laye's uncle emphasizes his hunger by claiming his stomach is so empty that there is enough room to use it as a place to house a creature as massive as an ox.
