How does the author use metaphor in the novel, The Witches of Eastwick?

Updike presents his fantastic tale with great understatement, however, treating the activities of his three witches as if they were merely extensions of their everyday activities. Through careful use of metaphor and allusion, Updike inconspicuously creates the illusion that supernatural acts are possible, thereby heightening the suspense created by the conflict between the forces of good and evil which vie within the novel.