What metaphors are used in Miss Julie by August Strindberg?

Sexuality is an underlying metaphor in the narrative. In Miss Julie, sex is divorced from love—a fact that caused Strindberg and his play a good deal of trouble when it first appeared. Although there is mild flirtation between Julie and Jean at the beginning of the play, there is no sense that their subsequent sexual encounter arises from unrequited passion or love, especially as it occurs while the other servants sing what Jean describes as "a dirty song" about himself and Julie.