"I never was a bad boy that I remember of," The Misfit said in an almost dreamy voice, "but somewheres along the line I done something wrong and got sent to the penitentiary. I was buried alive," and he looked up and held her attention to him by a steady stare.

The Misfit's assertion that he was "buried alive" is an example of _____.

a cliché to show that his experience in prison was a common one
a metaphor to foreshadow what will happen to the family
a hyperbole to show how awful his life in prison was for him
a simile to compare his experience in prison with that of a dead person