The old man's curled limbs
The writer employs intense vocabulary to enhance the reader's conception of the image of the older man who lived next door. A simile makes the imagery more prominent as the reader is able to develop a more deeply founded understanding of the curled state of the man's limbs on the landing of the staircase upon his death. The writer notes: "Later, my roommate would find him crumpled up on the third-floor landing, his eyes wide open, his limbs stiff and curled up like a baby's."
The smell of the farm boys
The farm boys being sewn in their woolen underpants from the beginning of winter have virtually no consideration for cleanliness. Their foul smell is made explicit through the writer's employment of a simile to compare their stinking to that of pigs. The writer notes: "… [the] classrooms [were] filled with farm boys who got sewn into their woolen underwear at the beginning of winter and stank like pigs as the months wore on."
"Men and women stepped like cranes…"
The appearance of the men and women in the rice paddies is made explicit via the writer's employment of a simile. Comparing these workers in the rice fields to cranes enables the reader's conception of their hoisted states above the rice paddies and enhances imagery. The writer notes: "Men and women stepped like cranes through the rice paddies, their faces hidden by their wide straw hats." The simile also alludes to the tall appearance of the men and women in the rice paddies.
Frank's wrinkled face
The appearance of Frank's wrinkled face is enhanced and emphasized through the writer's employment of a simile. Frank's face, particularly its wrinkled nature, is enhanced via the comparison to a carving of stone. The writer notes: "Frank wasn't watching me; his eyes were closed now, his head leaning against the back of his chair, his big wrinkled face like a carving of stone." The simile enhances the imagery of Frank's face.
The imaginary air bubble
The appearance of the air bubble that the writer imagines rolling through his veins and stopping his heart is brought out via a simile. The writer compares its shiny and round appearance to that of a pearl, a comparison that makes its imagery more prominent. The writer notes: "…right then, an image popped into my head of an air bubble, shiny and round like a pearl, rolling quietly through a vein and stopping my heart…"
