Old woman
The story "Willing" begins with the main character sitting in front of her mirror and examining her face. During this process, she spots a few lines on her forehead and other wrinkles all over her face. The image of the wrinkles is important because it is what pushes the main character to embark on a long journey to discover herself once more.
Unable to move
The story "Dance in America" centers around a young boy who is diagnosed with cancer. Because of his illness, he can no longer walk easily and is confined to a bed. The first image of the boy depicts him as sitting by the window and having a grave and mature face. As such, this image is important because it shows just how much a person can be affected by a serious and chronic health issue.
On the edge
"Beautiful Grade" ends with the description of the professor sitting alone in his room, and contemplating the idea of suicide. The professor lists all the reason he has to kill himself and most of these reasons has to do with the fact that he did not follow his dreams. Thus, this image transmits the fact that giving up on personal dreams can have fatal consequences and can make life seem meaningless.
The waiting room
Nothing is seen as being more tragic "People Like That Are The Only People Here: Canonical Babbling in Peed Onk" than having a baby who is dying. All the parents in the story have a terminally sick child and they are all portrayed as trying their best to be there for their children. What is important in this story however is the image that appears at the end which shows that parents happy and content, in a waiting room. The reason why this image is important is that it transmits the idea that no matter how hard life becomes, being a part of a close-knit community can help a person to move on and find inner peace.
