Great Machine (Metaphor)
In the text, Auschwitz is referred to as "the great machine" which is a metaphor for the mechanical way in which the process of selection and killing took taking place.
Infernal Music (Metaphor)
"We all look at each other from our beds, because we all feel that this music is infernal."
While convalescing in Ka-Be, Levi and the other patients observe the daily rituals of the camp. The music played as the prisoners march to work is compared to hell.
Corpse (Simile)
"The nurse points to my ribs as if I was a corpse in an anatomy class."
The author compares his body to that of a corpse because his bones protrude so significantly that they are visible through his skin. The nurse looks at him as if he is already dead, which enables the nurse to further dehumanize Levi.
Ants (Simile)
"We are as small as ants."
As well as referencing the fact that the men in the prison camp have physically diminished due to starvation, this simile also compares the way the camp operated to the marching of ants. Every day, the prisoners marched between their work and living quarters, usually too exhausted to think about anything other than work, food, and the weather.
