As Poe introduces Berenice to the reader, he uses a simile to illustrate the dire effects of the physical illness that wrecks her body:
Disease—a fatal disease, fell like the simoon upon her frame; and, even while I gazed upon her, the spirit of change swept over her, pervading her mind, her habits, and her character, and, in a manner the most subtle and terrible, disturbing even the identity of her person!
A simoon is a type of wind that blows with extreme intensity and heat, blasting dust across the deserts of the Arabian peninsula. This wind is so strong it is often described as violent and toxic. The all-encompassing, destructive and brutal nature of this natural phenomenon aptly describes the effect of the illness that wrecks Berenice. Her transformation from a girl of “light-heartedness and joy” to a near-unrecognizable wraith is startling both for its tragedy and the sheer speed with which it occurs. The fact that this simoon-like disease crashes “upon her frame” emphasizes Berenice’s fragility, highlighting her vulnerability to the strong force that overtakes her. With this simile, Poe draws a striking parallel between Berenice’s disease and an uncontrollable natural hazard, making it seem as though the devastating effects of her illness operate on a scale equivalent to the destructive force of this sweeping wind.
Just before the story reaches its climax, Egaeus finds himself sitting in the library with no memory of the hours between Berenice’s sunset burial and the current midnight hour. As he ponders over a growing sense of terrible certainty that he has “done a deed”—a certainty all the more horrible for the fact that his memories are vague—his musings are abruptly interrupted by the arrival of a servant:
There came a light tap at the library door—and, pale as the tenant of a tomb, a menial entered upon tiptoe.
Poe’s use of a simile when introducing the menial (likening his pale countenance to that of a corpse) subtly hints at the information he is about to reveal: just as the menial looks dead but is in fact alive, so too is Berenice! The menial’s entrance to the library creates a spooky setup for the story’s climax, emphasizing his similarity to the undead. He taps lightly at the door and enters “upon tiptoe,” as though afraid to make a sound, moving ghost-like through the room. The menial’s terrified looks, low voice, and gentle movements reinforce the unfathomable horror of the scene. His fear transforms him into a state of living death, cowed by the gruesome aftermath of his master’s violence.
