Bull Market
Ellie’s siblings are much older than her and have all long since flow the coop. But memories still persist and one of those memories is big sister Anne who is one-half of a brother/sister twin set, giving her useful advice on the nature of falling in love which is only now, so many years later, reaping subsidies:
“When I was little, Anne used to talk to me all the time about love. She said sometimes it happened slowly, an investment of work and time over months and years. She said that kind of love was sort of like the stock market—that, little by little, you put all of yourself into it and hoped for a decent return.”
Setting
Imagery really does not have to be too complicated to be effective. In fact, efficiency is a hallmark of good writing. Just a few simple words indicative of sensory imagery can put a reader right into the location of a scene:
“My great-aunt’s apartment was cramped and dark and smelled of unbaked break and morning breath.”
On the Other Hand
On the other hand, an extended use of imagery through discourse can do much to create an undertone for an entire book. The following conversation between Ellie and Miah is a perfect example how extending the imagery can serve the purpose of commentary on the theme. In this case, the them being how the external racism of society can impact person happiness and contentment:
“Let’s say it’s rain--the people who got problems with us being together--let’s call them and their problems rain.”
Ellie nodded. “Okay, they’re rain.” She smiled. “So now what?”
“So it’s not always raining, is it? But when it’s not raining, we know the rain isn’t gone forever.”
Imagery as Foreshadowing
Throughout the book there are images of black men running. This imagery occurs under a variety of different circumstances and invested with different meanings within the individual context. Taken together, however, they become tragically ironic imagery foreshadowing the novel’s climax:
“Once Anne and I were walking through Central Park when this black guy started running toward us. I frowned, remembering how Anne had screamed, and grabbed me. When the guy got up close, we realized he was a jogger, not a mugger or anything”
“Ever since he was a little boy, his father had always warned him about running in white neighborhoods.”
“And he remembered being older, running along the sidewalk, feeling like he was flying”
