Masked
McCullers elucidates, "Jarvis was a corporal in the army and he had spent almost two years in Alaska. Frankie had not seen her brother for a long, long time, and his face had become masked changing like a face seen under water.” The rhetorical variations in Jarvis’ face affirm that Frankie has almost disremembered her brother’s face due to the long-term separation which has ensued between them. The mask stresses that Frankie does not have a precise imagery of her brother’s look in her conscious.
Little clock
McCullers narrates, “Carefully she (Frankie) put her hand on his (John Henry's) stomach and moved closer; it felt as though a little clock was ticking inside him.” The allegorical clock alludes to the conventional movements in the stomach that can be perceived when one is slumbering. Ticking is a verification of John’s being.
Sweet Rose
McCullers expounds, “He (John) smelled like a sour little rose. Frankie leaned down and licked him behind the ear.” The abstract rose accentuates the agreeableness of John’s inherent fragrance which is fascinating. The pleasurable aroma stimuluses Frankie to lick him.
