Final answer:
Literary devices like similes, personification, and hyperbole are used to enhance the narrative by creating vivid imagery and emotional depth. A simile uses 'like' or 'as' for comparison, personification gives human qualities to nonhuman elements, and hyperbole uses exaggeration for emphasis.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the literary context, the use of figurative language is paramount to create vivid imagery and emotional resonance. When examining a work such as "The Interlopers," one may encounter various rhetorical devices. A simile is a figurative language device where a comparison is made between two different things using the words 'like' or 'as.' For example, a simile could describe a situation as tense 'like a coiled spring.' Another important device is personification, where nonhuman objects or concepts are given human attributes. This could be seen in a sentence like 'the forest sighed with the wind.' Lastly, there's hyperbole, which involves exaggerated statements that are not meant to be taken literally but underscore the intensity or significance of what's being described, such as 'the feud had lasted for an eternity.'
When analyzing literature for these devices, one should look for direct comparisons without 'like' or 'as' for metaphors, comparisons using these words for similes, or any exaggerated depictions that emphasize emotion or scale for hyperbole.