> "Kino stood and looked at the town, a cluster of houses like a huddle of frightened animals."
While it's not a direct comparison to a snake, this simile uses animal imagery to illustrate the town's nature. The "frightened animals" suggests a feeling of fear, vulnerability, and a sense of being threatened, which is a characteristic often associated with snakes.
The passage implies that the town's inhabitants are reactive, easily manipulated, and potentially dangerous when threatened, just like a snake might be. It also highlights the tightly knit and defensive nature of the community, much like a snake coiled in a protective posture.
Therefore, while not directly stated as a metaphor, the simile used in Chapter 3 of *The Pearl* evokes a sense of the town being similar to a snake.