The figurative language in the passage is effective in conveying the absurdity of the situation, particularly through the description of Uncle Willoughby as "this white-haired old man, who should have been thinking of the hereafter, standing there lying like an actor." This simile highlights the contrast between his expected demeanor and his deceptive behavior, adding a layer of humor and emphasizing the tension in the scene.
Jeeves Takes Charge
by P. G. Wodehouse
I didn't wait to hear any more. Things were getting too hot. I sneaked softly out of my bush and raced for the front door. I sprinted up to my room and made for the drawer where I had put the parcel. And then I found I hadn't the key. It wasn't for the deuce of a time that I recollected I had shifted it to my evening trousers the night before and must have forgotten to take it out again.
Where the dickens were my evening things? I had looked all over the place before I remembered that Jeeves must have taken them away to brush. To leap at the bell and ring it was, with me, the work of a moment. I had just rung it when there was a footstep outside, and in came Uncle Willoughby.
'Oh, Bertie,' he said, without a blush, 'I have—ah—received a telegram from Berkeley, who occupied this room in your absence, asking me to forward him his—er—his cigarette-case, which, it would appear, he inadvertently omitted to take with him when he left the house. I cannot find it downstairs; and it has, therefore, occurred to me that he may have left it in this room. I will—er—just take a look round.'
It was one of the most disgusting spectacles I've ever seen—this white-haired old man, who should have been thinking of the hereafter, standing there lying like an actor.
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Use the passage to answer the question.
In 1–2 sentences, evaluate the effectiveness of the figurative language used in the passage.
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