What metaphors are used in Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book by Maxine Hong Kingston?

The kaleidoscope is an apt metaphor for Hong Kinsington's novel. Often, a sentence is followed by a second sentence that restates the same basic principal, including an allusion to literature, pop culture or Chinese myth. The second statement gives greater focus to the first, but it also shifts the meaning slightly, as a kaleidoscope creates beautiful new patterns with even the smallest turn.