Figurative Language

The poem Getting Out really sparked my interest. I caught on very quickly that this was describing a divorced couple. I thought that the author's use of figurative language to convey this meaning was very effective. In just the first line, the speaker compares their relationship to that of inmates in jail. This simile shows how intensely unpleasant the relationship was. The couple was imprisioned without release from each other. At first that seemed dramatic and a bit drastic. But it makes sense when you look at it. They were kind of indifferent to each other, each tortured by the situation. They were trapped.