How Does Dave Eggers Use Metaphors In The Circle

The Circle, by Dave Eggers, contains several different forms of symbols to serve as representations of thoughts or ideas. The symbolism revealed throughout the novel can be shown by the use of objects, relationships, or events. These multiple significant symbols contained in The Circle are exposed through the use of metaphors and similes. The most obvious symbols distinguished in the novel are Mae’s screens, the transparent shark, and the storage unit.
Throughout the novel, the use of metaphors and figurative language serves to exemplify the speaker’s narrative. Eggers uses an example of symbolism through metaphor as he explains how a transparent shark consumes a lobster. It begins with the lobster getting consumed and going through a transparent process, then breaks up into hundreds of pieces that eventually turn into nothing. “The lobster was being processed, inside the shark, in front of her, with lighting speed and incredible clarity. Mae saw the lobster broken into dozens, the hundreds of pieces, in the shark’s mouth, then saw those pieces make their way through the shark’s gullet, its stomach,
its intestines. In minutes the lobster had been reduced to a grainy, particulate

substance” (Eggers 318). Humanity and human interaction are represented by the lobster and the Circle is represented by the shark. This signifies how humanity is constantly being consumed by the
Circle. It is being consumed, while an audience is actively watching, until it breaks into tiny scrap pieces or nothingness.
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On the day she begins work, Mae receives two screens and immediately feels delighted to acquire so much technology so quickly. She soon builds her way up to nine screens, eleven including her two bracelets; one which has her health information and one that shows her broadcast. Each screen serves a purpose within the Circle. For example, the third screen is where her social and Zing feeds appear. These screens represent the ranks of the Circle, through the passage of time as well as rise. More importantly, this symbolism displays the overload of information that Mae is continuously open to.
Within the basement of the Circle, lies Stewart’s fascinating storage unit.

Mae is captivated by this storage unit and it symbolizes exactly what the sharing she and the others have done amounts to through the time being at The Circle. Also, it physically represents the resting place of all the information that one can put out, and it being in a damp and sequestered environment reveals the sorrow of trying to expose every little thing to everyone. The novel describes the secluded placement of the storage when Kalden says, “It was supposed to be part of the subway, but they abandoned it. Now it’s just empty, a strange combination of man-made tunnel and actual cave” (Eggers 223). This is an obvious sign of how dreary and wasteful it is trying to share all information with

others.
The symbolism being shown throughout The Circle is very evident. With the use of metaphors and similes, the speaker’s narrative becomes more exemplified. There are several symbols being distinguished throughout the novel, but the ones that are most visible are Mae’s
screens, the transparent shark, and Stewart’s storage unit. All three of these symbols represent a greater image that speaks through the use of figurative language.