Marriage a la Mode

A metaphor is a figure of speech in which an object or a person is compared to an unrelated thing to highlight certain qualities. In the story, there are a few metaphors: William imagines “one of Isabel’s young poets lapping up a slice [of the children’s fruit]” (1). Here the word “lapping” compares the poets to animals, characterizing them as irresponsible and uncivilized. Another important metaphor is William reflecting that “Isabel was that rose-bush, petal-soft, sparkling and cool. And he was still that little boy” (2). Isabel’s beauty transports him back to his childhood garden, where he used to shake a rosebush after the rain. Thus, his ideal of Isabel and their love is childlike and innocent.

The story also uses simile, a metaphor that uses “like” or “as” to make the comparison more explicit. One simile in the story is “one bird drifted high like a dark fleck in a jewel” (2). This sentence creates the image of an imperfect jewel, highlighting the tension between the beautiful countryside and the alienation William feels there due to his wife’s friends. In another simile,