Previous
Genre
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
Part 2
Explanation and Analysis—Alcée's Desire:
Before Alcée and Calixta have sex, the narrator communicates Alcée’s desire for her using imagery and a simile, as seen in the following passage:
Alcée clasped her shoulders and looked into her face. The contact of her warm, palpitating body when he had unthinkingly drawn her into his arms, had aroused all the old-time infatuation and desire for her flesh […] He pushed her hair back from her face that was warm and steaming. Her lips were as red and moist as pomegranate seed.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—The Storm:
Before Alcée and Calixta have sex, they watch the storm through Calixta’s windows. The narrator hints at the growing sexual tension between the two characters through the use of imagery, as seen in the following passage:
Unlock with LitCharts A+[Calixta] went and stood at the window with a greatly disturbed look on her face. She wiped the frame that was clouded with moisture. It was stiflingly hot. Alcée got up and joined her at the window, looking over her shoulder. The rain was coming down in sheets obscuring the view of far-off cabins and enveloping the distant wood in a gray mist. The playing of the lightning was incessant. A bolt struck a tall chinaberry tree at the edge of the field. It filled all visible space with a blinding glare and the crash seemed to invade the very boards they stood upon.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—A Post-Coital Moment:
When describing the end of Alcée and Calixta’s sexual encounter, Chopin uses imagery, as seen in the following passage:
Unlock with LitCharts A+He stayed cushioned upon her, breathless, dazed, enervated, with his heart beating like a hammer upon her. With one hand she clasped his head, her lips lightly touching his forehead. The other hand stroked with a soothing rhythm his muscular shoulders.
The growl of the thunder was distant and passing away. The rain beat softly upon the shingles, inviting them to drowsiness and sleep. But they dared not yield.
Related Themes:
