The rising mist
Jacob, as he opens the door to the barn vividly, describes his surroundings comparing the mist rising from the woods to the rising of tenuous curls that made him remember Samson. This particular language use is used to enhance the imagery. Also, the feelings that the rising mist elicit in Jacob are implicit: "Mist rising from the woods like tenuous curls made Jacob think of Samson."
Every sunrise in the mountains was like a miracle
With respect to the mystic, magical and enigmatical nature in which sunrises in the mountains were, the narrator compares them to a miracle, God's hand among the flaming clouds. The use of this simile enhances imagery on top of functioning as an exaggeration: "Every sunrise in the mountains was like a miracle; one clearly discerned God's hand among the flaming clouds."
Grunted like animals
In his emphasis on why he refused to lay with any of the girls who tended the sheep, Jacob uses a simile to express his disgust with the way the girls grunted like animals. The narrator notes that: "Some of them could scarcely speak Polish, grunted like animals, made signs with their hands, screamed and laughed madly."
Wanda's twisted hair
To contrast Wanda, Jan Bzik's widowed daughter, and the other 'savages' the narrator describes vividly a situation that paints an image of her in the reader's mind. The use of a simile in which he compares Wanda's twisted hair to a wreath of wheat is also apparent: "She had blond hair, blue eyes, a fair skin, and well-modeled features. She braided her hair and twisted it around her head like a wreath of wheat."
Pine needles strained the sunlight like a sieve
Sleeping under the trees, the narrator explains the impact of the web of branches and pine needles comparing the way that the needles filtered and strained the sun's rays to a siever. This enhances imagery as the reader is able to vividly conceptualize the striking resemblance between the two objects compared: "The web of branches and pine needles strained the sunlight like a sieve, and the reflected light became a rainbow-colored mesh."
