The garden imagery
The imagery of the garden is brought out through the employment of vivid descriptions. In particular, the narrator describes its enclosure within three walls and the following seclusion that gave it the air of a cemetery. In this regard, the tranquility of the environment can be inferred. The imagery of the garden becomes more prevalent when the writer compares the little mounds bounding the canals to graves: “... its seclusion gave it the air of a cemetery, accentuated by the parallel little mounds bounding the irrigation canals and looking like the graves of very tall, very thin giants.”
The cascading bougainvillaea
As the prince is driven past Villa Falconeri, the imagery of the cascading bougainvillea is enhanced through the use of a simile in which the same I compared to the drapes of papal silk: “they drove past Villa Falconeri, whose huge bougainvilleas cascaded over the gates like swags of episcopal silk, lending a deceptive air of gaiety to the dark.”
The voice of Father Pirrone
The utterances from Father Pirrone are said to have sounded as if though they were an echo of his thoughts. In this way, the reader can conceive the implied suggestion of Father Pirrone’s voice being a reflection of his thoughts: “The voice of Father Pirrone sounded like an echo of his thoughts.”
The flabby curves of the rising squat domes
The flabby curves of the rising squat domes are brought out to the reader through the use of a simile. Specifically, the writer compares the curves of the rising squat domes above the convents and monasteries to breasts emptied of milk. The writer notes that “the squat domes rose in flabby curves like breasts emptied of milk.” The use of this simile facilitates imagery and promotes appeal.
Palermo
The tranquility, serenity, and peacefulness of Palermo are enhanced through the usage of a simile in which the same is compared to the peacefulness of a flock of sheep around their shepherds: “Palermo itself lay crouching quietly around its convents like a flock of sheep around their shepherds.” The peace is deep to an extent that the presence of warships does not influence it. The writer’s choice of this simile enables imagery.
