Meeting Elka
There are not many instances of vivid imagery present in the story, but the moment Gimpel travels to Elka's clay house receives quite a bit of attention. Gimpel describes walking to the house, followed by crowds of townspeople cheering and hollering behind him. Elka herself is described as an impoverished and animal-like creature as she washes clothing, her house marked by elements of struggle and labor. The narrator describes the setting as "the reek of it all" (995), further underscoring his disgust. Ironically, however, Gimpel marries Elka anyway, as the pressure of the townspeople leads him to feel like he has no choice.
Visions of Elka after Death
At the end of the story, Gimpel notes that in his dreams, he sees Elka in the same setting he first met her – doing the wash in her house. However, now that Elka has died, the image is marked not by a sense of darkness and discomfort but rather by beauty and longing. Her eyes, he notes, are "as radiant as the eyes of a saint" and "her face is shining" (1003). This image of Elka as an angelic being shows how in death, Gimpel has come to perceive her differently, and how he still misses her despite her many deceptions.
