“Piteous eyes, brown and suffering, like a dog’s” (A simile)
The eyes of Mr. Ronald Devereux, whom Bundles believes she has hit with her vehicle, on her way to town, are compared to those of a dog. The comparison suggests that the man is in pain and is living his last moments. The simile evokes pity towards him. The look in his eyes triggers Bundle’s feeling of guilt because she believes that she is responsible for hitting him. Later, Bundle learns that the man had internal bleeding as a result of being shot.
Spicy (A metaphor)
Christie likens Mr. Devereux’s death to a spicy item. She writes, “Surely this was the kind of spicy item of news that would never be passed over.” The news about Mr. Devereux’s death was a spicy item that had not been featured in newspapers because the police did not divulge it to the newspapers. Christie uses metaphorical spiciness to illustrate how tragic news, such as murder, would be devoured by readers of newspapers. Such tragic news are featured in the newspaper to draw the readers’ interest.
“Jimmy listened like a man in a dream.” (A simile)
When Bundle narrates the events surrounding Ronny’s death for a second round, “Jimmy listen[s] like a man in a dream.” He cannot believe that Ronny is dead because Ronny was healthy. Bundle’s descriptions of events are like a dream that cannot be believed. The events are as incredible as those that happen in dreams. After listening to Bundle, Jimmy recalls how Ronny wanted to tell him something when they were alone, but he did not because of some promise he had made.
Devils (A metaphor)
Jimmy concludes that “the devils shot him [Ronny]”. The metaphorical devil epitomizes evil. Jimmy believes that Jimmy made a discovery about the people who killed Gerry. Consequently, the devils who were responsible for Gerry’s death shot Jimmy so that he could not divulge it to anyone. The metaphorical devil means that there are sinister and evil people who are behind Gerry and Ronny’s deaths. They eliminate those who know about them so that they cannot be exposed.
