How does the author use metaphor in the story, Two Words?

The author uses a metaphor to create imagery that emphasizes the desperate situation of the people suffering the drought. The narrator describes the starving and thirsty as travelers whose “skin turned to lizard hide” (4). The imagery that this creates captures the degree to which life during the drought is difficult.

Allende also uses metaphors to establish connections between characters. When Belisa Crepusculario meets the Colonel for the first time, she sees that he has the “eyes of a ferocious puma” (7). Later, the Colonel smells “the scent of a mountain cat” (10) emanating from Belisa Crepusculario. The feline traits present on both of these characters highlights the strong connection between them. Moreover, it highlights some of their personality traits, such as their ferocity and feral nature.