Pretty Woman
The second paragraph of the novel is an extensive catalog of the physical features of its heroine, Eugenia. The paragraph commences with “She was not pretty.” The paragraph ends with one of those examples of a simile in which the comparison is straightforward enough, but the meaning is not completely clear. To the question of whether she is a pretty woman, a person once responded that her features are not attractive. This stimulates a response from another person who remarks “I don’t know about her features but she carries her head like a pretty woman.” No precise explanation of what it means to carry one’s head like a pretty woman is even attempted. The comparison made through this use of simile is left unexplored with the implicit suggestion, in the parlance of the modern day, that it is what is and therefore requires no further explication.
“To seek her fortune”
This particular phrase or a variation of it recurs throughout the novel. The usage is always in reference to why Eugenia has traveled from Europe to America besides the openly stated reason for visiting her cousins. The real reason for the trip across the Atlantic, however, is made clear: she has come to seek her fortune, a metaphor to politely say that she has come to America to find a wealthy husband.
The Venerable Mansion
In describing a certain house located in a rural spot characterized by a strange halo-like white light, one observer refers to it as a “venerable mansion. Eugenia’s brother Felix is a bit more precise in the metaphorical content of his description. Felix describes it as “a big wooden house—a kind of three-story bungalow; it looks like a magnified Nuremberg toy.” This other end of the comparison made in this simile is likely not as easily recognized by modern-day readers as it was at the time of composition. What Felix means by “Nuremberg toy” is a reference to the centuries-old rich tradition of crafting exquisitely detailed miniatures in wood. That the house resembles a magnified version of the toy is indicative of the extent to which the toys represented the real world miniaturized to an impressive degree while still retaining highly realistic detail.
Felix the Philistine
Felix seems to be the sibling more given to expressing himself through metaphor. At one point during a conversation, he proceeds to describe himself using succinct language. “You see, at the bottom, I am a terrible Philistine.” Generally speaking, this self-descriptive phrase would be interpreted to mean that Felix considers himself a cultural Philistine who is terribly contemptuous of progressive ideals. The narrator makes plain, however, that understanding what Felix means when he says something often requires extra effort on the part of the listener. And, indeed, upon hearing this assertion of self-identity the person Felix is addressing is moved to repeat “a Philistine” in the form of a question. It is only with Felix’s expansion of his meaning that it becomes clear that what he means by being a terrible Philistine is that he is genuinely quite bad at adopting the perspective of a cultural Philistine. After all, his life experience includes frustrated stints as an author, an artist, a musician, and even an actor. Such a resume proves he truly is quite terrible at behaving like a Philistine.
Gertrude Wentworth
Once again proving his lack of value as a proponent of Philistine attitudes, it is Felix who provides the perfect metaphor to describe Gertrude Wentworth. Even at the tender age of 23, she is another of whom it has been said she is not pretty. Felix recognizes that her true beauty is not revealed to the world but is found within and so is moved to characterize Gertrude appropriately. “She’s a folded flower. Let me pluck her from the parent tree and you will see her expand.” The continual demonstrations of Felix’s poetic sensibility and gift for figurative language call into question his status as a dilettante rather than a true creative spirit. While he may never realize his aesthetic ambitions, in the end, Felix makes out more than okay. He winds up marrying his unfolded little flower.
