The Boy's Clothing In Sharon Olds On The Subway
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In “On the Subway” by Sharon Olds, The author, before contrasting her portrait with the boy’s, make a detailed image of the boy’s violent appearance. She uses simile to compare the boy’s clothing to “a set of intentional scars” and “the inside of a body exposed” and notes that his face “has the casual cold look of a mugger”. Then the author gives an idea of her more civilized and business-like appearance while beginning to contrast herself from the boy. She reveals that she is wearing a fur coat and holding a briefcase. Ten she compares the power each has over the other. The boy could easily kill her and take her belongings, while the author is “living off of his life”, like how she wears her fur coat, “the skin of an animal taken and used”.