The Metaphor as Payoff
Sometimes a metaphor needs no buildup. It just says it what needs to by itself. Then there are those cases where the buildup makes the metaphor pay off. Such as in the combination of humor and dead-on accuracy in the simile that punch line in this example:
“Her face was thin and all made up with powder and rouge. She wore lots of jewelry. Rings and bracelets and necklaces. She looked like a department store.”
The Beaver
The bulk of metaphorical images in the book follow the lead of the title. The recurrence of animal comparisons eventually becomes a motif that acts like an underlying foundation to the strategy of character comparison:
“Mark was playing box-ball with a milky-white skinny kid with sandy brown hair and two giant front teeth. He looked like a beaver.”
The Rooster Kid
One kid even makes the leap from figurative animal to literal through the adoption of the nickname inspired by his looks:
“My name’s Bobby, but everybody calls me Rooster. I guess I look like a rooster.”
The Literal Metaphor
Occasions do arise when action calls for a metaphorical description that also just happens to be literally appropriate. Let’s be honest, the following account of human behavior by a person in the position that naturally creates expectations of compassion is expressed in language that fits both the figurative and the literal definition:
“Sister Barbara came at me like a wild animal. She slapped me hard across the ear and knocked me into the table. She grabbed my hair and pulled me over the chair.”
The Nicest Metaphor in the Book
The nicest metaphor in the book is also the best. And the most simply stated. And the sweetest. And although it does not directly refer to animals, it could, so it fits well on that account, too:
“How can you be afraid of love? Love is the nicest thing in the world.”
