Senora Moreno's appearance
A simile is used in the presentation of Senora Moreno's appearance. Her appearance is directly compared to a sad, spiritual-minded old lady. The use of this particular simile enhances imagery: "She looked simply like a sad, spiritual-minded old lady, amiable and indolent, like her race, but sweeter and more thoughtful than their won't."
Senora Moreno's family
The narrator says that the family stored in the Moreno's house with beans enough to feed an army. A simile is used to directly compare the large number of family members in the family to a little army. This enhances imagery: "[...] beans are the one crop never omitted or stinted on a Mexican estate; and for sake of old Juanita, they stored every year in the Moreno house, rooms full of beans in the pod [...] enough to feed an army. But then, it was like a little army even now, the Senora's household..."
Roaming of the Americans in the country
The narrator uses a simile to express the way in which the Americans were roaming everywhere looking for money. They are directly compared to dogs. The fact that they are compared to dogs directly brings out how low they were willing to stoop for money: "The spirit of unbelief is spreading in the country since the Americans are running up and down everywhere seeking money, like dogs with their noses to the ground!"
The piling of Old Juanita's husks
The husks that pile after Old Juanita's work throwing them down onto the floor are said to be like corn-husks at a husking through the use of a simile. The imagery is enhanced through this direct comparison: "Old Juanita shelled her beans there, and threw the pods down on the tile floor, till towards night they were sometimes piled up high around her, like corn-husks at a husking."
The shining of the benches
A simile is used in the expression of how the benches in the park shone. Their shining is directly compared to that of satin: "the benches, which ran the entire length of the walls, were worn into hollows, and shone like satin."
