Blackout
When the apocalypse arrives, it will be experienced in the dark. Even when not caused by an apocalypse, a widespread loss of electricity is cause for alarm. “A building lit up was alive, a beacon; dark, it vanished, like David Copperfield had made the Statue of Liberty do that one time.” The combination of metaphor and simile in this idea expressed as a thought by Ruth springs from the primal fear that light in the night can be extinguished with a single flick of the finger. The realization that the difference between an entire city buzzing with life or suddenly thrown into chaos can take place in the blink of eye is enough to inspired dread when it actually happens.
Ironic Opening
Considering what is going to happen afterwards, the novel opens with metaphorical imagery that serves as ironic foreshadowing. “Well, the sun was shining—people could turn any old thing into an omen. It was all just to say no clouds were to be seen.” The literal meaning of the text is describing the commencement of a vacation on a sunny day. The subtext is metaphor: a sunny and cloudless day is implicated as a metaphor for a near-future free from any significant problems not associated with the weather.
Dueling Duality
The story is structured as a study in duality. It pits a young white family of four against a Black couple with the family as vacation renters of the home owned by the couple. Metaphorical language that intensifies the inherent conflicts between this twofold aspect of everything abound. The most direct example is a simple simile. “They considered each other like they were meant to duel.” The “they” being referenced here is Amanda and Ruth. A duel is a much better metaphor than a western-style showdown at high noon, because it is being conducted with propriety and the rules of etiquette.
And I Feel Fine
It’s the end of world as the characters know it. And Amanda has decided to feel fine about it. “The world was over, so why not dance?” It is the metaphorical equivalent of shrugging, giving up and giving in and accepting whatever comes. Because, after all, nobody can stop the apocalypse so why should anyone even try.
Trust
The duel being conducted as a result of the duality creating conflict brings to the surface issues of trust. In the idiosyncratic circumstances detailed in the novel, trust is especially important and equally difficult to establish. The use of simile is especially appropriate uncertainties and doubt can only be reconciled through comparison and limited experience. “G. H. sounds like a captain of industry, a master of his business. I would trust a G. H. with my money.” Amanda is trying to find a reason not to distrust the sudden appearance of the Black couple claiming to own the house they knew would be occupied by the family renting it.
