Migraines Like Cracking Ice (Simile)
On her way to Jeju, Kyungha describes sensing "a migraine coming on like ice cracking in the distance" (Chapter 3). Cracking ice has its own unique sound, and it can include creaking, groaning, humming, moaning, whining, or even sounds like laser guns. This helps evoke the mystery of Kyungha's chronic migraines.
Inseon's Fragile Nerves (Metaphor)
Jeongsim used to say to Inseon, "Aieee, my little sorghum-straw daughter. Nerves of silk, just like your daddy" (Chapter 3). Here, she compares her daughter's sensitivity (which results in nightly stomach pain) to silk. Sorghum is cultivated on Jeju Island, which provides a land-based reason for the nickname "little sorghum-straw daughter."
Ice Pick Dreams (Metaphor)
The winter landscape finds its way into many examples of figurative language in the novel. For instance, Kyungha describes how "as soon as one dream wanes, another jabs its way in, a menacing ice pick" (Chapter 6).
The Wounding Desire to Commit Suicide (Simile)
Kyungha recognizes Inseon's suicidal ideation and describes the harmful urge as being "lodged in [her] chest like an arrowhead" (Chapter 9). The arrowhead is the part of the weapon responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, and if it "[lodges]" in that target, it remains stuck.
Bodies Like Clothes (Simile)
One woman who witnessed the Jeju Massacre compared the discarded bodies of the slain to "clothes floating on the waves" (Chapter 9). This reveals the naked horror and disgrace of which humans are capable.
A Flame With Multiple Meanings (Similes)
The book ends with similes comparing a flame to "a blooming heart," "a pulsing flower bud," and "the wingbeat of an immeasurably small bird." The flower specifically refers to a camellia, which has been established as a symbol for the massacred Jeju residents. In the novel's final passage, the fact that the figurative heart is "blooming" demonstrates hope. Han often compares birds to human souls and uses flames to honor the dead, and so this final comparison between the flame and "the wingbeat of an immeasurably small bird" also parallels the ending of Han's novel Human Acts.
