Tupperware Simile
Bryson likens living in a place that is constantly dull, without sunshine to living inside a plastic Tupperware container. Tupperware is a product with a hermetically sealed appearance. The constant dullness Bryson is experiencing is similar in appearance and makes him feel as though he is sealed into a container without air or a change of light.
Zoo Simile
Bryson is baffled by the way in which a national park can be so beautiful behind its gates and fences, yet have so much ugly construction going on just feet away from its boundaries. This makes him feel as though the parks are more like zoos, where the public can walk around, view examples of beautiful nature at its best, and then leave again to go back to the ugliness of the construction around them.
Thicket Metaphor
Bryson uses the metaphor "a thicket of monologue" to emphasize how convoluted and overly complex the explanation the speaker is giving. A thicket is extraordinarily difficult to navigate and it is almost impossible to find a way through; this is the comparison Bryson makes, which shows us that the travel explanations given by the Midwesterners are incredibly difficult to see an end to as well.
Zombie Simile
The author states that he and his dining companions are like zombies because they are experiencing a sugar coma and they have eaten far more than their stomachs are actually capable of holding. They are walking on auto-pilot, in the same way that zombies appear to do.
Smellville Metaphor
The author generally refers to fictitious generic towns and cities as "Smellville" which is a term of denigration and also portrays his dislike over over-developed urban locations where little or no thought has been given to the pattern and volume of development.
