similes

The narrator is invited by Hasser to meet a group of 'similes,' individuals who embody figures of speech used by the Ariekei (Hosts) in their unique language. The chapter explores the social and political dynamics of Embassytown, highlighting the flat social structure except for Staff and Ambassadors, and the uneasy relationship between similes and the Hosts' language. Through conversations with various similes, the narrator reflects on the burdens and vulnerabilities of being a living metaphor and the complex cultural tensions surrounding language and identity.

The chapter explores the growing obsession and anxiety of Scile, the narrator's husband, as he pursues unconventional theories about the Hosts' Language and its limits, particularly focusing on the similes. His ideas gain unexpected traction through Valdik, a less intelligent but passionate figure who becomes the public face of a movement questioning the infallibility of the Hosts' truth-speaking. The narrator and CalVin observe these developments with concern and ambivalence, highlighting tensions between belief, truth, and social order in Embassytown during a period of cultural stagnation called the doldrums.