Baboon
A month has passed since Ben started the evolution back, and Annie provides a rather ironic image of him: “Ben, the baboon, sat in a corner by the window, wrapped up in a drapery, chattering to himself”. With this image, the essence of a pathetic situation is described.
Ape
Ben’s devolution started with his transforming into an ape, when Annie woke up she saw a picture: “there was an ape sprawled on the cement, great furry arms covering his head to block out the glare of the sun”. He has started evolution back turning into an animal that is prehuman. The important detail is that he starts paying attention to sun when very busy people tend not to notice simple things around them, like the shining of the sun or the movement of the clouds or anything else nature offers. The image draws the reader’s attention to that.
Shore
When Ben turned into a salamander Annie understood she would not be able to bear his complete disappearance and drove him to the beach where she let him into the sea. At the beach “walking down the sand” Annie “nodded at people on towels, laying their bodies out to the sun and wishing”. The image of the shore which represents nature, but filled with people, represents a picture of civilization.
