Ocean
The image of ocean is given in opposition of the weather. It is a sunny day but the “ocean is rough, the waves come in slowly, tugging strength from far back and they finally crack, dashing fiercely upon the sand”. The ocean’s behavior stays unnoticed by the parents, they stare at it absentmindedly “scarcely interested in its harshness”. The image and the situation is very masterfully depicted by the author as showing what id happening in the lives of these two persons – they seem to love each other but they do not look deeper into one another's characters though everything is on the surface before them.
Descending afternoon
Another image of nature is beautifully depicted by the author; this one is of an afternoon that “descends by imperceptible degrees into the incredible violet of dusk; everything fades into a relaxed glow”. The images adds romantic mood to the entire atmosphere.
Proposal
The image of the proposal that is established happens in some kind of a vague haze during the waltz. The father being intoxicated by his own future makes a proposal to the mother. All this is being supported by the image of a “happy family” the father portrays on the example of his “married friends in the cozy security of their homes surrounded by the calm domestic pleasures and by delightful children”. The proposal is more an outcome of a sudden impulse than a thought-out decision.
