Previous
Similes
Book 1, Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Lilith's Cage:
When Jdahya first allows Lilith to leave her isolation—after she can be in his presence without panic or fear for her life— she realizes that she does not know what awaits her in the Oankali world. Through a depiction of irony and a simile, the novel illustrates the conflicting emotions that Lilith feels in this moment:
“Lilith, come out,” Jdahya said. She took a step backward, away from all the alien vastness. The isolation room that she had hated for so long suddenly seemed safe and comforting.
“Back into your cage, Lilith?” Jdahya asked softly.
She stared at him through the hole, realized at once that he was trying to provoke her, make her overcome her fear. It would not have worked if he had not been so right. She was retreating into her cage—like a zoo animal that had been shut up for so long that the cage had become home.
Related Themes:
Book 2, Chapter 11
Explanation and Analysis—The Outsider:
While Nikanj undergoes its metamorphosis into sexual maturity, it sleeps very deeply for several months, leaving Lilith alone to care for it. With a flair of irony, the novel describes Lilith's new, paradoxical situation:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The Oankali could communicate this way, could pass messages from one to another almost at the speed of thought—or so Nikanj had said. Controlled multisensory stimulation. Lilith suspected it was the closest thing to telepathy she would ever see practiced. Nikanj had said it might be able to help her perceive this way when it was mature. But its maturity was months away. Now she was alone again—the alien, the uncomprehending outsider. That was what she would be again in the home of Ahajas and Dichaan.
Related Themes:
Book 3, Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Capacity for Violence:
As Lilith scours the dossiers for the humans she must Awaken, she first avoids Awakening men, in fear that they would cause as much unwarranted violence as Paul Titus due to their aggression and size. After Tate, Lilith Awakens Leah and Celene, and the irony is palpable when the first thing Leah does is attack Lilith:
Unlock with LitCharts A+When that was done, she turned, meaning to sit down with Leah and Celene and answer their questions. Instead, she was suddenly staggered by Leah’s weight as the woman leaped onto her back and began strangling her. Lilith began to fall.
[…] Unexpectedly, Celene whispered, “Who are they?” Her face was already streaked with tears. She and Tate had come up silently to join the discussion—or watch the fight.
Lilith glanced at Tate, and Tate shook her head. “And you were afraid Awakening a man would cause violence,” she said.
Related Themes:
Book 4, Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Dead Animal:
When Lilith finds Joseph’s corpse, she discovers that Curt murdered him, dealing him multiple blows with an ax. Lilith uses an ironic simile to describe the callousness and cruelty of Curt’s actions:
Unlock with LitCharts A+And there was Joseph. He had been attacked with an ax. She stared, speechless, then rushed to him. He had been hit more than once—blows to the head and neck. His head had been all but severed from his body. He was already cold.
[…] After a time, Nikanj lifted her to her feet, managing her weight easily. […] It let her pull free and she stumbled back to Joseph. Curt had walked away and left him as though he were a dead animal. He should be buried.
Related Themes:
