The Use Of Metaphors In The Face On The Milk Carton

An author’s use of metaphors can either make or break their story. If used too often or too abruptly, it leads to a generic narration, causing a lack of engagement from the audience. If used correctly, it can make for a highly compelling story, one that forces the reader to empathize with the characters and deeply experience the story as opposed to simply reading it. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney serves as a phenomenal example of just how spellbinding metaphors can make a novel. The incredible way of portraying emotions and people resonates deeply with any reader, thus proving just how mesmeric metaphorical language can truly be. True, pure shock has the ability to strike down a person like none else. It’s genuinely gut-wrenching

The ability to accentuate what’s actually happening in the novel visually can only be considered absolutely priceless and essential if one truly wants to write a good book. Janie’s legal confrontation with her parents results in several things, with laughter, pizza, and tears serving as notable examples. Janie’s father, severely affected, breaks his calm facade, ramming into the world of crying: “His control broke: tears suddenly made little gleaming rivers on his face, like gold in rocks.” (Caroline B. Cooney, The Face on the Milk Carton, Delacorte Press, 1990, pg. 177) The “gleaming” tears make this moment between Janie and her father so much more heartwarming than if the description simply put it as “crying”. He’s trying so hard to maintain a straight face, but it is his daughter, and he simply can’t. The act of golden tears serves as a way for the reader to envision this scene, not in a generic bland way, but in a way to maximize this heartfelt moment’s feel, thus forcing the reader to appreciate it

If the tone is too monotone, the reader might take a snooze or two while attempting to read. If too fast paced, the reader will not find any spaces to enjoy and think about what is transpiring in front of them. Previously, the confrontation mentioned was that of a legal one. Earlier on, Janie, whilst rummaging through the attic, stumbles across the remnants of a whole other person, Hannah. The shock and curiosity hits her, a feeling of astonishment settles, and as her mind continues to spiral, she walks down the stairs and confronts her parents: “A silence long as some lives…Her father’s hand was molded to his coffee mug. Her mother’s hand stuck to her spoon…The demon had seized them all in his daymare. Her mother sank very slowly into a chair. Her father slowly raised his chin to look into his wife’s eyes. Like puppets they nodded. Screams rioted in Janie’s skull. She gripped the bookbag as if she planned to throw grenades. In syllables that dropped as softly as notes on a flute, her mother said, “Hannah is your mother Janie. We are not really your parents.” No! Cried Janie’s soul.” (Caroline B. Cooney, The Face on the Milk Carton, Delacorte Press, 1990, pg. 80). The consistent comparisons/metaphors resonate within the mind of any reader, creating such an intricate atmosphere. The tense feelings Janie “prepares to throw grenades, the short, but eternal nodding of puppets, and