Metaphor: Life as Coin Tosses
At the beginning of his diary, Che writes, "And so, the coin was thrown in the air, turning many times, landing sometimes heads and other times tails" (31). This is a metaphor to describe good things and bad things that may happen to a person in life. He adds that he mostly got heads and maybe one tail, which shows that he is generally happy with his journey and what he saw and learned on it.
Simile: Elastic Days
Guevara is hesitant to leave his girlfriend, commenting that "The two days I'd planned stretched like elastic into eight" (36). Comparing the days moving from two to eight to an elastic band being stretched out is clear, relatable, and evocative. Readers feel the celerity and ease with which the planned two days reveal themselves to not be enough and then become three, four, five, and eventually eight days.
Metaphor: Burning Bridges
In order to avoid the desert of Chile, Che and Alberto have to take a boat. Che writes, "With great regret we farwelled all our friends and afterwards crossed through the main gates of the port; burning our bridges, we set off on our maritime adventure" (73). The metaphors he uses here is "burning bridges" to connote how they must say goodbye to the people and the part of the journey that came before so they can move on and be prepared for what is to come.
Simile: Indians as Llamas
When their truck climbs high into the mountains and has to kick out its human cargo, Che and Alberto struggle with the freezing cold and the difficulty traversing at such a high altitude. When he looks at the Indians, though, he writes, "At a weary, steady pace they trotted along like llamas in a single file" (95). This comparison of the Indians to a line of llamas conveys the uncomplaining, steadfast nature of the Indians and how they are used to this sort of situation.
Simile: Cathedral as a Gilded Old Woman
Guevara gently mocks the ornate design of the Spanish cathedral with this comment: "...and so the cathedral seems to be decorated like an old woman wearing too much makeup" (114). The image of an old woman, her face deeply creased and her beauty gone, covered in gaudy, heavy makeup is vivid and perfectly expresses the cathedral and its ornate, superfluous decor.
