Near the beginning of the story, Waythorn runs into Varick on a crowded train on the way to work. During their short conversation, Varick uses a simile to capture his experience aboard the train, as seen in the following passage:
The two exchanged a word on the perennial grievance of the congested trains, and when a seat at their side was miraculously left empty the instinct of self-preservation made Waythorn slip into it after Varick.
The latter drew the stout man’s breath of relief. “Lord — I was beginning to feel like a pressed flower.” He leaned back, looking unconcernedly at Waythorn.
Varick’s assertion that he was “beginning to feel like a pressed flower” communicates just how crowded the train was and helps readers to understand how awkward Waythorn must have felt being so close to his current wife’s ex-husband.
In addition to bringing readers more closely into the scene, this simile also foreshadows how the two men will find themselves “pressed” together later in the story. While Waythorn would prefer not to have Varick in his life at all, he soon finds himself forced to work with the man professionally and then, through pressure from his wife and community, finds himself engaging with the man socially. While it’s possible that Waythorn could say no to interacting with Varick, like on the crowded train, he feels it would go against social etiquette to walk away.
