Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
At last, the culprit: it's those darn blood-sucking bugs that keep spreading the yellow fever. They're tiny and pesky and no one seems to know just how dangerous they actually are. In fact, everyone's blaming everything but the bugs for the yellow fever epidemic. Let's consider: where in the novel do we actually see mosquitoes? (Hint: check the very first line of the novel.) Why might insects – especially ones that suck blood – be important for this story?