What metaphors are used in Passing by Nella Larsen?

The second meeting between Irene and Bellew is a moment of shocked discomfort, an emotion that Irene registers almost immediately: "Instinctively, at the first glance of recognition, her face had become a mask. Now she turned on him a totally uncomprehending look, a bit questioning" (259). Although the image of "a mask" indeed captures the drama of the situation, this image also hearkens back to Irene's earlier methods of dealing with Bellew. In their first meeting, Irene confronted Bellew under the "mask" of a white woman at ease with his bigoted opinions of African Americans; now, she has put on a new mask, one that actually reveals her emotions.