What metaphors are used in The Last of the Just by Andre Schwarz-Bart?

In Chapter Seven, Ernie is beaten and left delirious..... during his delirium he has a vision of his marriage to Golda. The suffering Ernie experiences as a result of physical abuse, in addition to the loss of his wife is representative of all the pains he has endured throughout his life. It is his separation from Golda, however, that leads him to a clear understanding of what it means to die.