Foreshadowing Dread
The book has barely even begun before the protagonist thinks, “There’s something about this room that’s making a little ball of dread form in the pit of my stomach.” At this early point, there is nothing concrete to suggest anything about the room that should stimulate this metaphorical imagery. She even describes it as being simply modest and nice but too nice. The imagery of the little ball of dread is not there due to anything that the reader can tell about the room. This admission works as foreshadowing as the reader is invited to see things through the narrator’s suspicious eyes.
Characterization
Similes are used throughout the text to sharpen characterization. For instance, at one point the narrator notes that “Nina stomps up the staircase, her heels like bullets on each step, punctuated by the door to their bedroom slamming shut.” The comparison within the simile of footsteps to a gun being fired is the narrator’s own subjective opinion. She notes that this angry imagery likely stems from an appointment that has not gone well. But the key to the power of the simile is that is the narrator who compares the sounds of heels on the staircase to bullets. Thus, this simile gives insight into both the physical action of Nina and the psychological reaction of her newly hired maid.
The Creepy Girl
While interviewing for the housemaid position with Nina, the narrator notices the appearance of Mrs. Winchester’s daughter. The protagonist suggests that the little girl is comparable to children of the corn or the damned in various horror films. “Well, if they were casting for one of those movies, this girl would get the part. They wouldn’t even have to audition her. They would take one look at her and be like, Yes, you are creepy girl number three.” This is yet another metaphorical comparison—that of a young girl she doesn’t even know—to something that seems far more sinister. That the narrator would make this comparison upon first seeing Cecilia serves to give greater insight into the housemaid than the girl. Once again, metaphorical imagery helps to convey a suspicious quality within the narrator that almost immediately borders on paranoia.
The Creepy Housemaid
The housemaid gives Cecilia as much credit for trusting her as she herself gives for being suspicious of the little girl. “Cecelia looks at me like she would much rather get into the back of the van of some bearded homeless man than go home with me.” In this case, the image of a bearded homeless guy is code for a pedophile who abducts little girls right off the street in broad daylight. The simile marking the way Cecilia looks at the housemaid is strongly indicative of a mutual distrust between the two.
Nina’s Husband
The housemaid is not the only narrative voice. The woman who hires her also tells her story and it is the centerpiece of the plot. “My husband is a monster.” This is a confession made by the wife of a wealthy man to a gardener she believes does not understand English. The literal meaning of the metaphor is encapsulated by what immediately follows when she claims her husband holds her hostage in the attic where he tortures her. This monster is the crux at which the two narrative threads intersect.
