WHAT is the WHAT #12

I noticed so many similes and there's so much imagery that I don't think I can mention all of them. But anywho, on page 207 when Achak gets to ride the bike for the first time, I think it's a representation of Achak's life as he goes off on his own and faces many dangers. On page 220 Achak mentions his mom in her yellow dress again and I kept wondering why he mentioned herin her yellow dress. Then she is mentioned on page 451, when Valentino is told that his mother is still alive.I already knew that his mother was alive when Deborah said, "I came to know a midwife in MArial Bai, a very strong woman who wore most days a dress of faded yellow, the yellow of a tired sun."