A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes one thing by directly stating or by implying that it is something else. Macey is again described as a dog, this time with an indirect metaphor that implies he is an “old dog.”
"The horrible danger was over; it had escaped; it was ready for life again...."See in text(The Fly)
In the personification of the fly and in the context of the story’s allusions to World War I, a thematic parallel can be drawn between the fly’s survival and soldiers’ struggling to survive on the battlefield.
"Over and under, over and under, went a leg along a wing, as the stone goes over and under the scythe...."See in text(The Fly)
A “scythe” is a tool with a long curved blade at the end of a pole fitted with handles; it is used for cutting crops or grass in a field. The fly’s leg moving “over and under” a wing is compared with a simile to stones being thrown over and under a scythe clearing a field. The simile suggests the fly’s methodical, unrelenting effort to remove the ink from its wings.
"while the grey-haired office messenger, watching him, dodged in and out of his cubby-hole like a dog that expects to be taken for a run...."See in text(The Fly)
Macey, the boss’s elderly messenger, is described with a simile comparing him to “a dog that expects to be taken for a run.” The simile suggests Macey’s subservience in working for his arrogant, overbearing boss.
"and the table with legs like twisted treacle..."See in text(The Fly)
The table legs are described with a simile, comparing them to “treacle,” a British term for molasses, a thick, dark syrup. The simile suggests expensive, ornate carvings on the table legs.
"we cling to our last pleasures as the tree clings to its last leaves...."See in text(The Fly)
The point of view shifts to the first-person “we,” drawing readers into Woodifield’s personal experience and suggesting that it is a universal experience. The desire to “cling to our last pleasures” is described with a simile, comparing it to a tree’s holding on to “its last leaves.” Within the simile, the tree is personified by giving it a human trait, conscious desire.
"he peered out of the great, green-leather armchair by his friend the boss’s desk as a baby peers out of its pram...."See in text(The Fly)
Two literary devices are employed in the passage. Alliteration is created in the repetition of the initial “G” sound in “great” and “green”; the alliteration draws attention to the appearance of the armchair, especially its large size. Mr. Woodifield is described with a simile, a figure of speech that describes one thing by saying it is “like” or “as” another thing. Mr. Woodifield “peered out” of the large armchair “as a baby peers out of its pram” or baby carriage. The simile suggests that Woodifield is small and weak.
