What are some rhetorical devices in Ethan Frome?

Of course, any work of literature contains a number of
rhetorical devices, and this excellent novel is no exception. Let us remember that
rhetorical devices allow the speaker to try and persuade their audience to try and see
things from their point of view, or convince them about their argument. If we look at
the introduction of this novel, we can see that one paragraph contains a number of
different rhetorical devices. Consider the following
quote:

When I
had been there a little longer, and had seen this phase of crystal clearness followed by
long stretches of sunless cold; when the storms of February had pitched their white
tents about the devoted village and the wild cavalry of March winds had charged down to
their support; I began to understand why Starkfield emerged from its six months’ siege
like a starved garrison capitulating without
quarter.

This quotation is
given to us by the narrator to describe the "stark" nature of "Starkfield" (no pun
intended!). The narrator's experience of winter where he is sojourning makes the bleak
existence of the Starkfield residents clear. He uses a simile to compare the citizens of
Starkfield to a "starved garrison" that fight against the winter, and an extended
metaphor compares winter to an invading army that is trying to gain access to the
garrison. Also note the alliteration in phrases such as "crystal clearness" and "six
months' siege." All of these are rhetorical devices that try to show the reader what an
oppressive place Starkfield can be in the winter, and how, during the long, cold winter,
the snow does not just bury the settlement but also their individual hopes and dreams,
as is the case with Ethan Frome.