Definition of Imagery
During the scene in which Jack visits his mother in the hospital as she’s dying, Liu uses imagery, as seen in the following passage:
She turned to me, still smiling. “I know you have to go back to school.” Her voice was very weak and it was difficult to hear her over the hum of the machines hooked up to her. “Go. Don’t worry about me. This is not a big deal. Just do well in school.”
I reached out to touch her hand, because I thought that was what I was supposed to do. I was relieved. I was already thinking about the flight back, and the bright California sunshine.
When capturing the aliveness of the first paper animal that Jack’s mother makes for him, Liu uses imagery, as seen in the following passage:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I reached out to Mom’s creation. Its tail twitched, and it pounced playfully at my finger. “Rawrr-sa,” it growled, the sound somewhere between a cat and rustling newspapers.
I laughed, startled, and stroked its back with my index finger. The paper tiger vibrated under my finger, purring.