Fingerprints as metaphor for regime
The narrator says, 'The corrupt and bloodsmeared fingerprints of the past must be wiped away to create a clean...' The word 'fingerprints' is a metaphor because it has been used to describe the past regime rather than actual fingerprints.
Metaphor to describe past events
Aunt Lydia says that she had buried bones but now she was inclined to dig them up. The statement is metaphorical because by bones she means past events that she had long forgotten but now she was forced to recall them.
Metaphor to describe men
Tabitha's daughter says the following concerning marriage: 'I feared that I would end up getting married to a goat on fire.' The statement is a metaphor because she has used goats to describe men and fire to describe sex drive.
Metaphor to describe innocence
The Aunts that taught young pre-chosen girls in Gilead told them that it was better not to know some things otherwise their petals would be scattered.' The word petals has been used as a metaphor for innocence.
Simile to describe Tabitha's voice.
Tabitha's daughter described her mother's voice as follows: 'Tabitha had a beautiful voice, like a silver flute.' In that statement, the voice of Tabitha has been directly compared to a silver flute.
