What metaphors are used in The Truest Pleasure by Robert Morgan?

In Chapter Seventeen, Ginny is obviously not interested in forgiving Tom after he pulled a gun on her while pregnant. The couple, however, reaches their real "baptism of fire" when their land, the only thing holding them together as a couple, goes up in flames. A spark from the furnace caught some of the dry grass on fire, and soon the whole pasture was up in flames. When she runs out to the fields, Ginny can hardly see through the smoke, but she works side-byside with Tom, digging. This is clear metaphor for their marriage - at times, the fire, or conflict in their lives is so large that they can't see what they're doing, but somehow, they continue to work side by side trying to salvage what they can of their lives together. Although the image of the fire is horrifying, there is also something beautiful about the way Tom and Ginny wordlessly work together trying to save what is theirs.