Baby buffalo is a metaphor for?

Lee is a realist. He can't seem to wrap his mind around metaphors. Well, maybe it's not a thing about him not understanding, maybe he just doesn't like them. We were talking about Tim O'Brien's book--the part about the baby buffalo that we both read in class, and he made fun of it so badly, that I don't think I can read the passage in the future without thinking of "aliens zapping people's skin off".

I guess what i wanted to say is that there are different kinds of readers out there. And, I'm still mad that Lee ruined Tim O'Brien for me--hopefully not permanently. I still think that Tim O'Brien is a fantastic writer and I believe I will still be moved by his writing. But what I found out is that metaphors can be silly if a reader misses the point. They are literary tools, but I guess everything that asks a reader to make connection for themslves always poses a risk. And that there is nothing as devastating as when someone makes fun of that loose connection. Because, then everything just becomes quite silly.

I have to read the passage again, because I found that when Lee challenged me to tell him what the baby buffalo is a metaphor for, I couldn't answer. Damn!