In the sweet hereafter, why is the accident scene described only in similes – "bearing down on me like a wall of water" – and surreal images – "the sky tipped and veered away and the ground lurched brutally forward? "

In The Sweet Hereafter, the accident scene is described with similes and surreal images because a graphic description of the event would not be as effective to the characters, the theme or the plot. Describing the event by using similes and surreal images has the advantage of letting us know how the accident felt, and what it was like to experience it. It gives us a more personal point of view.

the pronoun reference replaces a noun, but you have to make sure there's no room for confusion.

in the first sentence "her" could be referring to shely or to the sister. the answer there is "shelly called her sister and told her about the new baby."

in the second sentence "it" could be referring to the roof or the floor. the answer there is "since the roof leaks on the family room floor, we need to repair the roof."

the father traits is what becomes more dominate the mothers is half dominate or vise versa depending on the gender.