The sprouting houses
The narrator uses a simile to enhance the reader's perception of how quickly houses were developed following the settlers' occupation. The use of the simile enhances imagery while also enhancing the reader's conception of how fast the areas became developed. The narrator notes: "Houses sprouted like mushroom colonies."
The imagery of Lake Invergarry
The imagery of Lake Invergarry is made prominent through the narrator's employment of intense descriptive language. The narrator notes: "Lake Invergarry was a mustard-colored stain like paint spilled over the landscape." In this way, the appearance of the lake and its mustard-colored water is made more comprehensible.
The crow's gleaming eyes
The narrator compares the crow's eyes, particularly, their gleaming appearance through a simile in which they are compared to stars. The simile thus emphasizes the shiny appearance of the crow's eyes. The narrator notes: "The crow watched her, its wings folded back, its eyes gleaming like stars."
The crow's cries
The crow's cries' intensity and magnitude are emphasized through a simile in which they are compared to the roar of thunder. In this way, the reader is able to comprehend its cries as mighty and expansive: "[The crow's] cries drowned out every other sound, they filled the valley like the roar of thunder, and the ground shook beneath Sadie as she struggled to her feet."
The choking darkness
As Sadie plummets into the darkness, the narrator employs personification in which the darkness is said to choke her like soft black feathers. The simile thus enhances imagery: "She was plummeting into the darkness, and the dark was choking her, like soft black feathers in her throat."