"To the gods, we are like flies"
The narrator uses a simile in which he brings out the negligible and insignificant value of humans in the eyes of the gods. When he compares humans to flies that get killed in the summer by boys, the value associated with them in the eyes of the gods is perceived as limited. The narrator notes: "Some say that we shall never know and that to the gods we are like the flies that the boys kill on a summer day."
Esteban's reluctance
Esteban's reluctance to leave the Abbess's side is made explicit through a direct comparison of his behavior to that of a dog who is unwilling to offend its master. The use of the simile thus alludes to his feelings of hesitancy and reluctance as well as uncertainty as he stops in his tracks and stares down the street. The narrator notes: "When he had gone about twenty paces he stopped and stared down a side-street, like a dog who wants to go away, but is reluctant to offend the master who calls him back."
Esteban's dark eyes
From the traveler's point of view, the color of Esteban's eyes is brought out. The writer notes that the travelers saw Esteban's eyes, and a simile directly compares their image to that of coals. The writer states: "Travelers from the interior told of seeing Esteban as he strayed with eyes like coals along the dried-up beds of rivers or through the great ruins of the old race." The simile enhances the conception of Esteban's eyes as dark in color.
Like a blind man
The idea of a great man going about the world unaware and ignorant of the facts is inadmissible and shameful. The writer notes: "I suppose it seems ignoble to you that a great oak of a man should go about the world like a blind man about an empty…" To be likened to a 'blind man' is a symbol that alludes to ignorance or the characteristic of one being unaware of facts.
The beautiful procession of clouds
The imagery of the beautiful procession of clouds straying up from the sea is enhanced through the use of a simile. A deeper conception of the appearance of the clouds is enhanced when the narrator notes: "A beautiful procession of clouds, like a flock of sheep, was straying up from the sea, slipping up the valleys between the hills."
