Beast-like (simile)
The mob was furious with the man, but cheerfully greeted Matasiete. Though excited as they were, people showed violence towards the man “flocking to close in on the victim like birds of prey on the skeleton of an ox slain by a tiger”. The simile shows how beast-like people may be.
An object of admiration (Metaphor)
Matasiete is portrayed like a folk hero, and “a hoot of laughter and a rousing cheer” once more “hailing Matasiete” serves a proof for it. Matasiete is an object of everybody’s attention and admiration.
Reference to religion (simile)
The scene of the man being tortured is compared with the one of Christ being tortured. Such a reference to religion, and to the scene of such horrid behavior of people, adds to the image of unfairness being committed.
“Binding the unfortunate young man’s arms behind him, with blows and shoves, jeers and insults, they dragged him to the torture bench just as his tormentors did to Christ.”
Scene of violence (metaphor)
The author depicts in details the man’s behavior during the scene of tortures: “the young man squirmed, kicked out, gnashed his teeth. First his limbs were supple as a reed, then hard as iron, and his spine writhed like a snake. Drops of sweat big as pearls ran down his face; his eyes shot fire, his mouth foam, and the veins of his neck and forehead stood out dark, as if choked with blood, against his white skin.” With the help of both metaphor and similes the scene appeals to the reader’s imagination in vivid colors of terrifying injustice.
