The white rock house
The imagery of the white rock house is brought out through vivid descriptions and a simile which makes the appearance of the house more relatable and familiar. The writer compares its appearance to a sparkling white-washed beacon: “A cross between a lighthouse and a Creole mansion, it stood like a shining white-washed beacon…”
The appearance of Minnie’s room
The disorderly appearance of Minnie’s room is made apparent to the reader through the use of a simile. The comparison of the room to someplace a bomb had gone off evokes the perception of the room as disorderly and unkempt: “The room looked like a bomb had gone off.”
The image of Claire Hicks
Meg faced with a picture of Claire Hicks employs vivid descriptions to enable the reader to develop an image of her. Her features including the most salient ones such as the stringy hair on her face are brought out using a simile. The narrator notes: “The pale skin, the look of sadness on her face, the stringy hair that hung in front of her face like a tattered curtain.” The comparison of the stringy hair to a tattered curtain enables a deeper conception of this feature of the girl.
Meg’s realization
The realization that Meg actually knew the girl in the framed photo on the dresser is brought out via the use of a simile. The writer notes that Meg realized slowly that she knew the girl as if a fog was clearing from her mind: “It dawned on Meg slowly, like a fog clearing from her mind. She knew this girl.” The comparison enhances imagery.
The ribbon bookmark
The writer presents the imagery of the ribbon bookmark hanging in tatters and shreds between the pages to a splayed tail of a peacock. The use of the simile enables a profound perception of how shredded the bookmark was while enabling imagery: “The attached ribbon bookmark hung in tatters between the pages, sticking out the bottom like a splayed peacock’s tail”
