Figurative Language in "Alas, Babylon"

“He looked like a Klondike sourdough or Paul Bunyan transplanted to the semi-tropics. On those rare days when his beard was freshly trimmed and he dressed formally in white shirt and tie, he looked like a physician, outsize 1890 model.” This quote is a simile comparing Dan 's untrimmed beard to a large pancake covered with sand. it shows how many things that were once easily accessible such as electric razors are now gone, taken by the nuclear bombings. (Frank 179)

   "Peewee may be a mouse aboard ship, but he's a tiger in a Tiger. If I sent him up with orders to shoot down the moon, he'd try." this quote is a metaphor used to describe peewee, the air force pilot that accidentally caused the war. It states that despite peewee's small stature, he has the heart of a tiger, and he is very determined, to the point of trying the impossible. (Frank 127)

  "The air is like soup and the people are like noodles." this simile compares the climate to hot soup and the people to noodles. it shows how frail humanity has become.(Frank 47)

  "He watched them walk to the plane, a small procession, and out of his life." this quote is a metaphor describing mark as he watches his family takes off from a plane. although the metaphor soon turns into a reality, it is still a metaphor as mark doesn't actually know he will never see his family again. (Frank 67)

  "The day died in calm and in beauty" this is an example of personification, as the day cannot actually die. It is used to describe "Randy's time of the day". it is a very peaceful moment in the book, before the bombings. (Frank 54)