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Definition of Imagery
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines... read full definition
Volume 1, Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Blossoming Hope:
In Volume 1, Chapter 9, the narrator uses a simile laden with imagery to describe Hope Leslie's "open, fearless, and gay character," and the conditions that allow that character to develop:
It may appear improbable that a girl of seventeen, educated among the strictest sect of the puritans, should have had the open, fearless, and gay character of Hope Leslie; but it must be remembered that she lived in an atmosphere of favour and indulgence, which permits the natural qualities to shoot forth in unrepressed luxuriance—an atmosphere of love, that like a tropical climate, brings forth the richest flowers and most flavorous fruits.
Related Themes:
Volume 1, Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Monumental Marble:
In Volume 1, Chapter 10, Hope asks Esther why she never told her that she knew Everell when they were both in England. Hope uses a simile to tease Esther for her sensitivity on the matter, and Esther uses imagery to twist the simile into a dramatic response:
Unlock with LitCharts A+"Raise up your eyes and look at me, dear Esther, and do not let those long eye-lashes droop over your pale cheek, like a weeping willow over the monumental marble."
“Oh, Hope Leslie! if it were not sinful, I could wish that monumental marble might press the clods on my cold bosom.”
Related Themes:
Volume 2, Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Bloodstreams:
Repeatedly, the novel uses an imagery-laden metaphor comparing biological bloodlines to waterways. One instance occurs in Volume 2, Chapter 2, when Hope meets with Magawisca in the cemetery, and Magawisca tells her that it might be difficult to reunite her with Faith:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I cannot send back [...] the stream that has mingled with other waters to its fountain.
Related Themes:
