A simile is a comparison of two unalike things in which one thing is said to be like or as the other in some way. As the sexual tension between Alcee and Calixta increases, the narrator says that "her lips were as red and moist as pomegranate seeds." In some ways, Calixta seems to come alive and become even more vibrant and vital during the storm of her passion for Alcee. Then, when they finally do give in to their desire for one another, Calixta is described as being "as white as the couch she lay upon." Again, the colors of her body are emphasized, as is the way it feels to the touch, as, later, her "firm, elastic flesh" is described as being "like a creamy lily." The narrator says again and again how sensuous this situation is, how the pair's senses seem to spring to life after having been ignored or dampened for so long. Still another simile states that

the generous abundance of her passion
... was like a white flame which penetrated and found response in depths of his own sensuous nature.

It is notable that so many of the similes are used to describe Calixta and so few are used to describe Alcee. There is just the one for him (versus the four to describe her), when the narrator says that "his heart [is] beating like a hammer upon her." Certainly, something in his nature has been awakened by her and this storm—both literal and figurative—as well.