Poland under Russian occupation
The first imagery of the novel is the scenery that defines Maryna's status quo. She is in an environment that she used to love, but under Russian occupation, she knows Poland will never go back to the way it was. Then, she falls ill and almost dies of typhoid. That leaves her in a stark awareness that if she doesn't leave Poland, she will waste her life and die without anything she wants. She wants a passionate life of adventure and courage, and so she uses this imagery as a launching pad toward something new.
Transition and sacrifice
When Maryna convinces her family to move, she does so with startling sincerity, and then they endure a transition. The transition brings a radical change of scenery, almost too much change to really comprehend. They endure that season of hardship as a sacrifice, hoping to be rewarded later for their struggle and suffering. The transition is like a desert wasteland between one life and another one. They are asked to hope for a better future, and some fare better than others.
Toil and farming
The imagery of the farm is pretty difficult for Maryna, because it puts her in a position of great desire. She watches crops failing. She sees the weight of their toil on the family, and most painfully of all, the farm brings conflicts to the family that rend the family into factions. Some leave, then others, and then before long, the farm season is over, and she has nothing to show for all her hard work. She does have one thing: a chance to follow her dreams.
The glory of California stages
The final imagery is an imagery that brings Maryna a great deal of catharsis and peace, but also ecstasy and joy. She finds that she can fulfill her destiny in California, and when she tries to be an actress, she is surprised to find great success there, so that her experience of California, of stages, of theater and performance, are double by the abstract imagery of great reward and fulfillment. She finds a kind of paradise as an actress.
