Near the beginning of the story, Mr. White complains about living in the country, using a pair of hyperboles in the process, as seen in the following passage:
“That's the worst of living so far out,” bawled Mr. White, with sudden and unlooked-for violence; “of all the beastly, slushy, out-of-the-way places to live in, this is the worst. Pathway's a bog, and the road's a torrent. I don't know what people are thinking about. I suppose because only two houses on the road are let, they think it doesn't matter.”
The hyperboles here—in which Mr. White refers to the pathway to their house as “a bog” and their road as “a torrent”—are clearly exaggerations meant to communicate Mr. White’s frustration with living in the country, especially when there is a storm. Rather than being a literal bog, the pathway is likely muddy, and, rather than being a violent flood (or torrent), the road is likely simply full of water from the storm.
The language here contributes to the stormy, unsettling mood of the story, helping readers understand just how isolated the Whites are during this extreme weather event. It also adds a realistic element to the story as, in the early 20th century, more and more people were moving to cities for industrial jobs, leaving rural communities with smaller populations.
