Explore the purpose of Imagery in Literature within the context of Playing with Fire and Beyond the Broken Window

What Is Imagery?

Imagery in literature is a device that uses vivid, descriptive language to create a mental image in the reader’s mind. It is a sensory experience using symbolism that helps create a specific mood, enhance a setting, or reveal a character’s internal state or intention.

Imagery is used in literature to develop the central message of a story.

The five senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, touch—and movement and organic (internal feelings such as a fluttering heart) are summoned by imagery to evoke emotional responses, thus immersing the reader into the story.

How Should the Reader Analyze Imagery in Literature?

First, find words that describe colors, sounds, feelings or smells. Determine which senses are targeted. Think about how the imagery reflects the tone, environment or time period of the story.

Let your senses guide you to uncover a deeper meaning or message within the words.

Examples of Imagery in Playing with Fire

From the first mention of Dawn’s character in Playing with Fire, movement and organic descriptions help the reader connect to her as a person.

“Dawn sat next to Uncle Jess, head down, hair a veil across her face, a feeble attempt at invisibility.”

“Her leg popped up and down in nervous syncopation.”

“Dawn growled, and shot her legs straight beneath the table, threw herself back in the chair as far from him as she could get.”

“Dawn slammed her hand on the table. The reverberation turned heads in the room …”

Can you feel the girl’s tension? Her body tells of the anger within.

In the next chapters the five senses show up in all their glory as the reader learns about Bonnie’s part of the world:

The quarry is described as “a loud, dusty hole so deep and wide it made me dizzy.”

She describes her first time in a movie theater. “… its aisles tilting down and velvet seats, soft as a newborn puppy. I could rub those seats forever.”

Bonnie’s letters talk of nature and weather with imagery.

“I remember February in Baltimore County, when the wind whips at your face and freezes your lashes and crusty crystals form in your Nose. When the cold burrows into your muscles and bones until they feel like icicles about to snap.”

“We sat like that, both tear-streaked, until dusk blurred the day and chiggers began to bite in full force.”

“… floating in the river, squinting from the sunlight, my body relaxed and dappled with the shadows of trees.”

And food:

“… his face screwed up and he spit the oily green leaves back on the plate. I ducked as the plate flew across the room in my direction. … By the time the ruckus was over, we were all covered in slimy gunk.”

“ ‘Yes’m,’ I said shoving a warm cookie in my mouth. It was soft and gooey. I closed my eyes and chewed. The sweet clung to my tongue and sent tingles of pure delight to my stomach and brain.”

“Ellie is squeezing oranges. The room seems brighter somehow when the tang of citrus tingles his nose. He breathes it in like an elixir and feels it waken his senses.”

All the senses are touched on (pardon that pun) when Bonnie’s train ride is described:

“I boarded, moving to the open deck car so I could experience my surroundings. The whoosh of breeze warm on my face smelled of train steam and pine trees as I watched the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains receede. My thoughts raced, my heart pounded, clacking along with the train and the tracks beneath me, through towns and over rivers.”

Are your senses awakened?

“I shall never get used to this feeling! Of being above it all. I imagine having wings to fly without the confines of the plane. It would feel like submerging, I’ll bet. In air like in water; weightless.”

“As she flew above the earth with its train tracks and bridges, above the snaky rivers reaching for the ocean, above the fields she once called home, her heart beat like a hummingbird’s wings with a new sensation.” Hope.”

Examples of Imagery in Beyond the Broken Window

Here are a few examples, starting with the first chapter, when Julie returns to her family home and sees a 20-foot tree that was once a tiny sapling. The use of sight, sound, taste, touch and smell paint a picture of a suburban home and the tree that begins our story.

“Beneath the bay window, shrubbery grew, dark and dense. New growth sprouted here and there, so it looked as if the needles were spattered with bright chartreuse paint.”

“Marigolds gave the air a pungent smell that blended with the nose tickling scent of a newly trimmed lawn.”

“As she moved toward the yard, a murder of crows lifted from the woods and flew across the sun, dappling the lawn with light and shade. How appropriate, she thought.”

“There it was, its spikey branches spreading toward her, its knotty roots twisting beneath her feet.”

“Three fat crows returned and perched on the telephone wire to provide a soundtrack with their raucous confabulation . . . Caw, Caw, Caw!”

Can you imagine what those birds are telling her?

(If you’ve read my blog about trees, you know they are a theme used in Beyond the Broken Window. If you haven’t, Ideas for a Novel: See the Forest through the trees is here in my blogs. Read it! These images of roots and branches, of leaves and fruit, and the birds that nest in them help tell Julie’s story with metaphor.)

Meanwhile, back at Julie’s house, our senses are tickled again:

“It was the first day of summer, a sweltering afternoon. The air rippled with humidity. It felt thick and alive, making movement arduous. It clung to the skin, leaving one sticky and craving cool drinks.”

Later at the Madsen house:

“Rick was tending to the woodstove, and smoke tickled her nostrils with a heady redolence. Traces of that smoke stayed on Rick’s clothes after his visits here . . . just a whiff of the fire made her warm.”

“Beth took a sip, shuddering as its burn slid down her throat. She rubbed her finger around the edge of the cup as she spoke.”

“Rick wrapped his arms around her, inhaled the cinnamon and woodstove clinging to her. The smell of home. He felt a welling of desire and love and gratitude that he had never experienced before.”

The Purpose of Imagery in Literature Is Clear

Imagery is used in literature to develop the central message of a story. These words are written to immerse the reader in the emotion of the scene, trigger empathy, suspense, and connection. Imagery is used to enhance character and setting development. When used well, the author’s words transport the reader into the characters’ world.