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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
Imagery
Explanation and Analysis—Siblings or Parents:
Near the beginning of the story, while driving the Dases to the Sun Temple, Mr. Kapasi reflects on their family dynamics, using similes and imagery in the process:
They were all like siblings, Mr. Kapasi thought as they passed a row of date trees. Mr. and Mrs. Das behaved like an older brother and sister, not parents. It seemed that they were in charge of the children only for the day; it was hard to believe they were regularly responsible for anything other than themselves. Mr. Das tapped on his lens cap, and his tour book, dragging his thumbnail occasionally across the pages so that they made a scraping sound. Mrs. Das continued to polish her nails.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—The Monkeys:
Near the beginning of the Das family’s drive to different sacred sites in East India, the children notice a group of monkeys in the trees on the side of the road. Lahiri uses a simile and imagery here, as seen in the following passage:
Unlock with LitCharts A+"Monkeys!" Ronny shrieked. "Wow!”
They were seated in groups along the branches, with shining black faces, silver bodies, horizontal eyebrows, and crested heads. Their long gray tails dangled like a series of ropes among the leaves. A few scratched themselves with black leathery hands, or swung their feet, staring as the car passed.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Mr. Kapasi’s Longing:
During their rest stop on the way to the Sun Temple, Mr. Das suggests that Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das sit closer together at the restaurant so he can take a photo of them. Lahiri uses imagery to capture Mr. Kapasi’s experience in this moment, as seen in the following passage:
Unlock with LitCharts A+He could smell a scent on her skin, like a mixture of whiskey and rosewater. He worried suddenly that she could smell his perspiration, which he knew had collected beneath the synthetic material of his shirt. He polished off his mango juice in one gulp and smoothed his silver hair with his hands. A bit of the juice dripped onto his chin. He wondered if Mrs. Das had noticed.
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Explanation and Analysis—Motherhood for Mrs. Das:
After confiding in Mr. Kapasi about the affair she had with her husband’s friend eight years earlier, Mrs. Das (via the narrator) launches into a long story about how that affair came to be, using imagery in the process:
Unlock with LitCharts A+After marrying so young she was overwhelmed by it all, having a child so quickly, and nursing, and warming up bottles of milk and testing their temperature against her wrist while Raj was at work, dressed in sweaters and corduroy pants, teaching his students about rocks and dinosaurs. Raj never looked cross or harried, or plump as she had become after the first baby.
Related Themes:
