Living Metaphors

Well, I cheat by writing fantasy, where I can get away with all sorts of living metaphors. In the first book, Initiate, I have a character who has been hexed, tied to a rock, walking in circles for ten years. Later (Spoiler Alert) we find out that he has cast the hex on himself, because he hated his own clan so much he planned to destroy them and leave; but also loved them so much he would not let himself. So he is a living metaphor, literally walking in circles in a rut of his own making. More subtly, he’s also there as a hint (metaphor? foreshadow?) about what will later befall the heroine and hero. It’s hard to make a living metaphor work as a main character (even in fantasy; good fantasy should be more than mere alegory) but they do make a good supporting cast.