The Witch District
The comparative function of the simile is given a dose of humor in a conversation about a section of New Orleans known as the Garden District said to be home to witches. One character inquires if this neighborhood is “a gloomy witchy place” to which another replies: “No, not really. But it is like a dark bit of forest in the middle of the city.” The absurdity of a gloomy witchy place being known as the Garden District is give an addition comedic tweak with an expansion of information. This “forest” in the middle of a city is essentially just a bunch of big trees.
Horror Movies and Abortion
The character named Michael is explicitly identified as getting much of his education in the darkness of movie theaters. He is not merely a passive receptacle, but a critical thinker. And his deep dive into the zeitgeist of the more graphic horror films of post-studio system Hollywood arrives the conclusion that the genre had become a metaphor for abortion. “…did not the cinematic monsters of this time bear a remarkable resemblance to the children being aborted every day in the nation’s clinics?” As evidence, Michael considers everything from the infamous scene in Alien when the creature explodes from inside the body of a man to his perception of Jeff Goldblum ending up resembling a fetus by the end of the remake of The Fly.
The Virulence of Ignorance
It is said that a little learning is a dangerous thing. Or, as Petyr van Abel writes to Stefan, “give me a man or woman who has read a thousand books and you give me an interesting companion. Give me a man or woman who has read perhaps three and you give me a dangerous enemy indeed.” The metaphor here is constructed upon the widely shared misassumption that knowledge and education are what create menacing threats. This belief has led to everything from the entirety of Dark Ages to laws in certain states against teaching the history of slavery in America. The irony is that history has consistently proven Petyr right.
A Little Too on the Nose
The central protagonist of the novel, Rowan Mayfair, is clearly situated as an advanced student. One might even say a prodigy: “The students have nicknamed her Dr. Frankenstein because of her talk about brain transplants and creating whole new brains out of parts.” As far as metaphorical nicknames go, this one may be just a little literal. Calling someone Dr. Frankenstein is usually done for the purpose of suggesting an extremity of narcissism in which someone believes they possess the ability to tread into God’s domain. In this instance, it is a metaphorical allusion to describe someone who is literally pursuing the dream of Mary Shelley’s mad doctor.
Lasher
The second book in the trilogy which begins with The Witching Hour is titled Lasher. That character is introduced in this novel. In at least one case, the metaphor and simile used to describe him situates his ambiguous and unclear nature: “He’s with us. He knows every trick at my command. He’s everywhere. Like God. Only he’s not God!” The person to whom this description is voiced countermands the assertion by arguing that Lasher has already made mistakes, so by definition he isn’t even like God. On the other hand, God did send a flood to wipe out everything so he could start over with a clean slate. So that argument against Lasher being God may not be as comforting as either character seems to think.
