Metaphors for Society’s Problems
The Yellow Dog has many metaphorical references to societal afflictions. For example, journalists at Morning Lark used to sneeze, cough, and retch ‘because they worked in a sick building’ (p. 29). Amis also writes about students suffering from eating disorders, and the plumbing system on the verge of collapse due to a copious amount of gastric acid let into it. The ‘homeless sign’ is an indirect reference to suffering due to poverty. These metaphors connote that society was under immense distress.
Simile for the assault of Xan Meo by his enemies
The author narrates Xen’s physical struggle with his assailants after which he crashes ‘like the statue of a fallen tyrant’ (pg. 15).
Simile for the ugliness of Britannia Junction
The author describes the unsightly things that had to be removed from Britannia Junction. Among them, he talks about the drunk ‘with a face like a baboon’s rear’ (pg. 6).
Simile for Dusk
Amis describes the lights of the evening sky; he notes the illumination of planes as being ‘like incandescent spermatozoa’. This simile insinuates that immorality was high in society.
Simile for the Intensive Care Unit
Xan Meo is hospitalized at St Mary due to a head injury. Amis described the Intensive Care Unit care as feeling ‘like a submarine or a spaceship’ (p. 36).
