How does the author use rhetoric in the novel, Moth Smoke?

Rhetorical devices enliven the language of Moth Smoke. Mohsin Hamid employs the rhetorical device of personification to create imagery. He writes, “a crescent moon sneered through a gap in the clouds. The boutique huddled against the storm, a tiny island of light on an unlit street” (74). The moon is not literally sneering, and the boutique is not literally huddling; these actions have a figurative meaning. In this quote, the moon is personified in order to create a scene that is suggestive of conflict. Additionally, the boutique is personified to suggest its defensive exclusivity.