What metaphors are used in The Cinnamon Peeler by Michael Ondaatje?

Cinnamon is the source of the man's livelihood and social identity, the only identity by which he is known. As a result, the hyperbolic permanence of the odor of cinnamon becomes a metaphor for the permanence of the cinnamon peeler's station in life. It represents not only his livelihood, but also his caste and all the societal restrictions his caste places upon him. The cinnamon peeler's narrow and inescapable identity offers a sharp contrast to the nebulous, anonymous narrator who daydreams of being him.