Mist like a ghost simile
Joseph arrives to California and he is on his way to find his ranch. On the way Joseph is struck by the beauty of the fertile nature all around him. Trees and branches are so dense they make it difficult to pass through. Joseph admires the trail and the oak trees in front of him. There is mist around the trees going up to the sky like a half-materialized ghost floating until it hits the warm air and becomes a cloud.
Excuses like bushes to hide behind simile
Elizabeth and Joseph come to his ranch after getting married and find out that Benjy is dead. Joseph goes to talk to Juanito and Elizabeth is left in the hands of Rama. Rama let her curtain of strictness fall and decided to have an honest conversation with Elizabeth. She starts warning Elizabeth about Joseph telling her that she will never know him, never know his dreams, that he isn't like any other man. Elizabeth, as any woman in love, starts getting defensive and justifying Joseph. Therefore, Rama makes to comment that Elizabeth is already making excuses like bushes to hide behind.
Thought like shadow in the water
In her lesson to about Joseph that she gives Elizabeth Rama tells her that she isn't the only one having these thoughts about him. She's seen these thoughts in the eyes of other people like shadow in the water. Joseph isn't like any other man, Rama knows men well but she doesn't know Joseph. He is above humans; he is closer to a divine being. From her words we can conclude that Rama fears and worships Joseph.
Night soft as an embrace
Joseph is on his way to talk to Juanito about what to do next after Juanito stabbed Benjy. It is night and Joseph finds comfort in the nature around him during the night. The night, the hills are soft and friendly as an embrace. This is not the first time in the novel the nature, the land is compared to a living thing, to something human; in fact, the entire novel is accompanied with similar comparisons, most notable being the comparison of land to a woman.
The guitar players like demons simile
Joseph organizes a fiesta on his ranch. At one point during the fiesta people start frantically dancing which takes on an image of some kind of a ritual; the atmosphere takes a dark and threatening turn. The guitar players or simply referred to as guitars are compared to demons.
