How does Abe use metaphor in the play, The Man Who Turned Into a Stick?

A consistent pattern in Abe's work is the use of metaphor. Almost all of his narratives are built around a single metaphor and, as William Currie describes, "are developed with a kind of dream literalism." Abe presents the metaphor in somewhat realistic terms, but, as the play unfolds, the only thing that holds everything together is a sense of the irrational. "I [Abe] tend instinctively, in a sense, to make the ordinary the starting point of all my thoughts. But at the same time, I dislike that as well, so I create monsters, to surprise."