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
Imagery
Explanation and Analysis—The Office:
The use of imagery in "The Fly" grounds the story in the boss's luxurious office, ultimately calling attention to the boss's vanity about his professional status. Take, for example, the visual imagery in this passage, in which the boss goes through his office and brags about its lavish appointments:
"New carpet," and he pointed to the bright red carpet with a pattern of large white rings. “New furniture,” and he nodded towards the massive bookcase and the table with legs like twisted treacle.
The new carpet is "bright," emphasizing its newness and, in turn, the fact that the boss is professionally important enough to have lush, expensive things. Similarly, the bookcase in his office is "massive," indicating that the office itself must be quite large—yet another marker of his elevated professional status.
The boss also makes a point of calling Woodifield's attention to a stove in his office, where there are sausages sizzling in a pan:
"Electric heating!" He waved almost exultantly towards the five transparent, pearly sausages glowing so softly in the tilted copper pan.
The description of the "pearly" sausages "glowing" in the pan makes it easy for readers to envision them as they sizzle on the stove. The suggestion that these sausages are "glowing" makes them seem especially enticing, perhaps helping readers envision them in the same mouthwatering way that Woodifield most likely looks at them. There is also the implied heat of the stove and the smell of the sausages, both of which simply add to the inviting atmosphere of the boss's office, perhaps making it easier to understand why Mr. Woodifield likes getting out of the house once a week and spending his free time visiting the boss. All in all, the imagery in this section enhances the sense of luxury at play in the boss's office, effectively heightening the boss's vanity about being a strong and important professional figure.
Related Themes:
