Would "“The chain that bound her here was of iron links..." be a hyperbole? If not, than what literacy device is this?

Answer 1

Not hyperbole.

Was she actually shackled to a post or something by a chain made of iron links?
http://prezi.com/t3awxotu352d/the-scarlet-letter-figurative-language-symbolism/

Answer 2

I assume this is from Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.

http://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/lit/the-scarlet-letter/chapter-5/

Hyperbole is exaggeration, but there are no actual bounds on Hester. This is comparing two unlike things. Which device makes such a comparison?