The shining of the goddess
Azaro describes the shining of the eyes of the goddess directly comparing them to the shining of moonstones using a simile. The use of this particular simile precipitates imagery and appeals to the reader's imagination: At night the eyes of the goddess shone like moonstones."
The ghost boy's appearance
Additionally, the ghost boy that appears in the narrator's room is described using a simile to facilitate the attraction of attention. The narrator compares the ghost to a bluish haze a situation that enhances imagery: "The ghost of the boy was up on the ceiling, like a perpetual bluish haze."
Size of the sleeping man
Azaro compares the man sleeping on the chair to a giant in fairy tales. The "giant" is used in this case by the narrator metaphorically in attribution to his colossal and gigantic size: "The man sleeping on the chair was like a giant in fairy tales."
The hanging arm of the narrator's father
After Azaro's father is caught and beaten by the police for participating in the riots, the narrator describes the hanging of his hand to an appendage that has ceased to live: "...there was an ugly cut on his forehead, bruises on his face, and his arm hung beside him like a diseased appendage."
The playful nature of the children
Azaro describes how they looked in the picture using similes in which he compares his parents and himself to animals. He uses "squirrel" as a metaphor for the children's playful nature. Additionally, he says he looked like a rabbit, a metaphor for his own vulnerability: "...the children were like squirrels, and I resembled a rabbit."
