Nature and state parks
The imagery of nature and nature preserves is quite literally the purpose of this book. The writer is essentially writing essays by compulsion, having spent important time in the desert parks of Utah. He writes about the flora and fauna of the nature in that area, literally assembling a portrait of the wildlife in that park. Beyond that concrete imagery, he also reflects on the subjective experience of being in nature and being among such a diverse ecosystem. His essays are literally capturing imagery.
Industrialization and pollution
The industrialization of nearby areas has had an adverse effect on the nature of Utah. The author discusses pollution and the way that industrialization has slowly shifted the balance of nature. This is an imagery that could be called "man-made," which means it could be conceived of as an antithesis imagery to the natural balance of the park. The force of mankind has at its center a desire to accrue wealth, and because of greed and the desire for money, the imagery of nature is literally weakened.
Balance and animal life
Pollution is not the only way that humans effect the balance of nature. We learn that in the 1950's, there was a movement to reduce the amount of predators in the area. Hunting predatory animals was allowed for this, and Abbey's treatment of this comes through in the book with a haunting imagery. Objectively, the predators are part of the balance of nature, and Abbey describes outcome after unfortunate outcome for this tampering. The park became a kind of "meta-predator," which threw off the balance of nature by letting the populations of prey animals surpass the sustainability of vegetation in the area.
Religious diversity
Stepping away from animals and plants, Abbey turns to analyze the history of religion in Utah, which is historically fascinating. The imagery of religious diversity makes human culture seem like the flora and fauna he discusses. The religions can almost be thought of as biology, because all the religions were held by humans, who are also animals. Therefore, his treatment of Mormonism, Native Religion, and secular ways of life are a kind of natural imagery, in a subtle way.
