A Run-of-the-Mill Woman (Metaphor)
In describing his choice to live an average life, Mr. Cheong says, "it was only natural that I would marry the most run-of-the-mill woman in the world." This metaphor characterizes Yeong-hye as commonplace by comparing her to the standard output of a mill before selection or grading for quality.
A Disposable Wife (Simile)
In-hye's husband disapproves of the way that Mr. Cheong "seemed to consider it perfectly natural to discard his wife as though she were a broken watch or household appliance" (Part 2). Ironically, Yeong-hye's brother-in-law also ends up objectifying her when he uses her body to gratify his artistic vision and sexual needs.
In-hye's Endless Night (Simile)
After In-hye's family implodes, she suffers from insomnia and deep depression. In-hye remains awake at night long after her son falls asleep, and she describes this as "a time when there is neither sight nor sound of any other living thing. As long as eternity, as bottomless as a swamp." Her isolation becomes especially pronounced without the momentary relief of laughing with her son or concentrating on work.
Family Chaos (Simile)
After In-hye's husband seduces Yeong-hye and films their sexual encounter, the entire family falls apart. Yeong-hye deals with psychosis, In-hye's ex-husband leaves, and the rest of the Kims cut off contact with the sisters. In-hye reflects on what she could have done to prevent the "lives of all the people around her [from tumbling] down like a house of cards" (Part 3). This metaphor implies that the family dynamic was fragile and flimsily balanced to begin with.
Yeong-hye's Soul (Simile)
As In-hye witnesses her sister's physical and mental deterioration, she wonders "what other dimension might Yeong-hye's soul have passed into, having shrugged off flesh like a snake shedding its skin" (Part 3). Here, In-hye describes Yeong-hye's rejection of her human body as if it were a natural and inevitable process.
