They are well-
disguised. You often don't
notice them when you read; you just
browse over the
words and
accept the
bird or
flower imagery for what it is. It doesn't
horrify you in the least bit to read about how
Darl is enjoying the pretty day or to study the
confrontation between
Hamlet and
Gertrude.
The Awakening seems (except for a few "naughty" scenes) to be a piece about
self-reflection and
social commentary.
The sexual metaphors are everywhere, and they are not at all kept in check by literary elegance. Sex in literature is no less wild or taboo than in reality; it is only less accessible when hidden beneath elegant writing. What appears to be a solitary description of simple appreciation for the surroundings is so often only a verbal manifestation of masturbation. Shakespeare is no exception (indeed, he is among the worst offenders); Hamlet goes so far as to assault his mother with sickening Oedipal motions. English teachers may exaggerate, but the truth is that writers are perverts.
Noders are perverts, too. Next time you look at a seemingly ordinary, single-layered
writeup, think about what it really means.