When capturing Nicholas’s experience of the lumber room, the narrator uses imagery, as seen in the following passage:
[T]here was a carved sandal-wood box packed tight with aromatic cotton-wool, and between the layers of cotton-wool were little brass figures, hump-necked bulls, and peacocks and goblins, delightful to see and to handle. Less promising in appearance was a large square book with plain black covers; Nicholas peeped into it, and, behold, it was full of coloured pictures of birds. And such birds! […] [A]s he was admiring the colouring of the mandarin duck and assigning a life-history to it, the voice of his aunt in shrill vociferation of his name came from the gooseberry garden without.
There are several types of imagery in this passage. First, Saki engages the readers’ sense of smell when describing the sandal-wood box as being “packed tight with aromatic cotton-wool.” He then engages readers’ sense of sight and touch by describing the “little brass figures, hump-necked bulls, and peacocks and goblins” that were “delightful to see and to handle,” before following that up with more visual descriptions of the “large square book with plain black covers” that contains striking “coloured pictures of birds.” Finally, Saki engages readers’ sense of hearing when describing the “shrill vociferation” (or loud cry) of his aunt, pulling Nicholas out of his reverie.
Saki intentionally uses rich imagery in this passage in order to help readers understand just how significant an experience Nicholas is having in the lumber room. While in Nicholas's daily life his aunt keeps him from having joyful experiences, here he is finally able to have a deeply fulfilling (sensory) experience while exploring the hidden artifacts in the lumber room. This is due to the fact that Nicholas is willing to push back against her attempts to control him.
