Metaphor for People Who Live in the House
The reader can find a symbolic link between the house and the obese mother who lives in it. The link that Hedges creates between the house and the people who live in it implies that people's bodies can be related to their abodes. The children say that the house is a source of reassurance for them just the same way their mother is. The mother reassures the children that they are going to be safe as long as she keeps watch because anyone breaking into the house will have to pass where she sits. With the mother ever there at the same position where she sits in the house, the house is invested with a human condition. The children are always there feeling guarded by their mother. In this case, the house gains the personality of the people who inhabit it. In this case, the house can be seen as a metaphor for the people and the human body as well.
Similes for Arnie
Arnie is the mentally handicapped brother of Gilbert and some similes are used to describe his behavior in different situations. He cries like a person seeing the end of the world. He once started to cry out of the blues after he had thought about all the grasshoppers he had decapitated under using the mailbox lid. His chewing has been described as that of a person who has just realized that he has a mouth. Gilbert also says that he once made the sound like that of a motorboat while they were going to the shows.
Simile for Endora
Gilbert's home is in the town of Endora. He says that describing Endora was the same as trying to dance when there is no music. In other words, it is not easy to describe Endora. It is a town where farmers abound and hence it must bear that semblance. The population was also great and hence on the weekend nights, it became abuzz with people in the streets.
