The author uses this literary device called Figurative Language to express the feelings experienced; in this passage, the narrator talks about how the its mind and head were with the awful feeling of sadness. The author also talks about the sensation of space in which her mind was enclosed.
All this sentences and comparisons are part of a Figurative language that is used to make the speech more effective, persuasive, and impactful for the reader to feel more deeply the words of the narrator and could live through them. This figure goes beyond the literal meaning of the words and gives the reader more insights.
If I understand what you’re asking, it should be how much milk do you drink, how many people live in Athens, how many times do you go to the park, how much are these boots, how much money do you spend.
I thought of a huge thunderstorm striking my house and killing everything I ever loved
