Like Quiet Black Shadows (Simile)
In the first chapter of Black Samurai, Colonel Tolstoy and his band of contract killers execute a nighttime raid on the Samurai houses of Mr. Konuma. Leading the charge are dogs Tolstoy has trained to be ruthless killers. Olden writes: "Silently, the lean Dobermans glided toward the three houses, moving across the grass like quiet black shadows." In this simile, Olden contributes to the sinister atmosphere of the opening pages by likening the dogs to incorporeal shadows moving swiftly and silently toward the unsuspecting Samurai.
Nailed This Sight Into His Mind and Heart (Metaphor)
In Chapter Three, Robert Sand—The Black Samurai—is the only survivor of Colonel Tolstoy's attack on the Samurai Master Mr. Konuma and Sand's samurai brothers. Before leaving the scene of the attack to exact his revenge, Sand stops to watch the samurai houses burning. Olden writes: "The Black Samurai nailed this sight into his mind and heart. He never wanted to forget it." In this metaphor, Olden speaks of the memory as though it is a physical picture he is affixing inside himself with a nail. In this way, Olden emphasizes Sand's desire for vengeance by highlighting the forceful way he commits the image of the massacre into his memory.
The Deaths Continued to Slice (Metaphor)
After meeting with former U.S. President William Baron Clarke in Tokyo, Sand takes a flight to Saigon, where he intends to track down and kill Colonel Tolstoy. On the plane, Sand experiences his first moment of relative calm after the raid that killed his sensei and samurai brothers. Olden writes: "His side ached, where the sword had sliced into his flesh. And his soul ached, because the deaths of Mr. Konuma and the Samurai continued to slice again and again into his tortured sleep." In this metaphor, Olden writes of the emotional pain Sand feels after having lost his fellow samurai as though it is a physical pain no different from Sand's sword wound. In doing so, Olden highlights the trauma that is motivating Sand's solemn quest for revenge.
255 Pounds of Good Food and Wines (Metaphor)
Upon landing in Saigon, Sand meets with a contact of Clarke's named Philip Braun to arrange a meeting with one of Tolstoy's men. When describing Braun, Olden writes that he "was only five foot eight tall, but carried 255 pounds of good food and wines on his bones." In this metaphor, Olden suggests that Braun's excess body fat results from him indulging himself on expensive food and wine. This implies that Braun has been living a lavish lifestyle in Saigon as one of Clarke's American ambassadors.
Like Obscene Black Fruits (Simile)
In the opening paragraphs of Black Samurai, Olden introduces the reader to the primary antagonist: Colonel Leo Tolstoy. After disgracing himself in Vietnam, Tolstoy is out for revenge against his home country and the South Vietnamese who held him accountable for his involvement in the My Lai Massacre. When describing the fearsome Tolstoy, Olden writes: "Two grenades were clipped to the left front pocket of the green shirt, dangling like obscene black fruits." In this simile, Olden writes about the instruments of death dangling from Tolstoy as though they are natural extensions of his body, insinuating that the grenades are akin to fruits produced by a deadly tree.
