Abuela Evila’s house
The narrator employs vivid descriptions to present the appearance of Abuela Evila’s house. The crack on the place where the adobe peeked in is said to be like the crack of the shell of an egg. The comparison thus enhances the reader’s conception of the crack on Abuela Evila’s house while also enhancing imagery.
The narrator notes: “Abuela Evila’s house sat at the bottom of the hill. It was shaped like a box, and it had once been painted white, but by the time we came to live there, the adobe peeked through where the plaster had cracked like the shell of a hard-boiled egg.”
The appearance of the vine
Grande compares the spreading of the vine’s thick red flowers to the spread of a bloodstain. The comparison facilitates imagery of the red flowers encroaching the white wall of Abuela Evila’s house. Grande notes: “The bougainvillea was in full bloom, and the vine, thick with red flowers, looked like a spreading bloodstain over the white wall of the house.”
The metal springs sticking from beneath the old bed
During a hide and seek game, Mago hides underneath an old metallic bed that has springs sticking out like spiky fingers. Grande’s use of the simile enhances the imagery of the metal spikes underneath the bed: “She’d hidden underneath an old bed that had metal springs sticking from it like spiky fingers.”
Elida’s hair
The extensively large and sparkly black hair that tumbles down her back is emphasized through Grande’s use of a simile to compare it to a black waterfall. The use of the simile enhances the imagery of Elida’s hair based on Grande’s point of view. Grande notes: “Elida’s hair was so long, it tumbled down her back like a sparkling black waterfall.”
Reyna’s hair falling to the ground
The lightness of Reyna’s hair is perceived through a simile that compares it to the falling petals of a flower as it is shaved down. Grande’s use of this simile is geared towards developing familiarity, making the comparison more sensible and appealing. Grande notes: “I squirmed even more at watching my curls land on the ground and on my lap, falling one by one like the petals of a flower.”
