Opening Line
“It was one of those Septembers when it seemed that the summer would never end”
The opening line of the novel commences the use of imagery as series of increasingly dark and ironic foretelling of the future. “subtly accomplishes several things. Most prosaically, it situates the reader into the setting of the novel; the time aspect of setting, anyway. Much more symbolically, it conceptualizes the idea that an optimistic viewpoint is needed to make one’s way through the story. That the bulk of the action in the novel will take place among the snowy mountains of the Alps where all signs point affirmatively to the inescapable fact that summer ended sometime ago also lends to the irony of the imagery.
Tragically Ironic Foreshadowing
Some—perhaps even most—of the most effective use of imagery in the novel is engaged by the author to exploit the most singularly unusual and significant element of the book. This is the first and only Bond adventure in which Fleming allows Bond to truly and fully fall in love and only he knows the tragic ending he has in store. As a result, throughout the book, he effective utilizes imagery for the purpose of creating ironic foreshadowing which, obviously, only really fulfills its purpose on a second reading. Perhaps the most heartbreaking example of ironic imagery occurs when Tracy is behind the wheel of the Mercedes and Bond is both metaphorically and quite literally being carried away by her at a breathless pace:
“Life was beginning to come back into Bond. It was so wonderful to be in this little car with this marvelous girl. The memory of the dreadful mountain, of all that he had been through, was receding. Now there was hope again, after so much dread and despair.”
Bond's Wedding Day
Everything in the novel leads inexorably to the last five pages of the final chapter. The imagery that opens those concluding pages is of James Bond getting married at ten-thirty in the morning on January 1. New Year’s Day is traditionally a date characterized by the buzz of optimistic expectations for positive change. It is the most absolute perfect day possible for a man with a reputation like James Bond to tie the knot. Everything from the first day of that year would represent a complete overhaul of life that essentially slices through his past to create sharply defined delineation between the man Bond was before and the man Bond will be forever after. Unfortunately, the date in this case also contributes to the ironic undercutting of wishes for summers that never turn frigid.
The Lobes of Blofeld
The villain of this Bond novel is one of the most famous: Ernest Stavros Blofeld. For most of the novel, however, Blofeld is one of the most mysterious villains. The novel begins with Bond asserting that after a year spent searching, he has failed to produce any evidence confirming Blofeld is still alive. Shortly thereafter, he refers to him as a ghost. For much of the narrative, Blofeld’s physical manifestation rests primarily upon recurring images related to ear lobes. Or the lack thereof:
“…he has got lobes,' said Bond, annoyed. 'Rather pronounced lobes as a matter of fact.”
“His ears, that should have been close to his head, stuck out slightly and, where they should have had heavy lobes, had none.”
“Now for my most interesting item. The Count has not got lobes to his ears! Isn't that good news!”
