Neuroscience Imagery
The narrator/protagonist, Henry Perowne, is a neurosurgeon, so there is much imagery pertaining to neuroscience throughout the novel, both in the operating room and outside it. He sees people as products of the chemical processes in their brains, especially Baxter, who suffers from Huntington's disease, a neurological disorder that causes deterioration in the brain. Different parts of the brain are described in great detail, making the imagery of neuroscience the predominant one in the novel.
Weather Imagery
As Perowne stares out his bedroom window on multiple occasions, the square across the street is described with imagery relating to the cold weather. The wind and temperature make the scene seem cold, both literally and figuratively, as if coated with a light dusting of snow. As the conflict with Baxter grows more real, weather comes back into play as well - instead of snow, the weather turns to harsh, cold rain, signifying the force of Henry's realization of depressing reality.
Poetic Imagery
Henry's daughter, Daisy, is a poet, as is his father-in-law, John Grammaticus. Accordingly, much of the dialogue with these characters uses imagery that accompanies poetry, such as discussion of form, meter, symbolism, and scansion. There is also a particularly harsh debate between Daisy and Grammaticus that stems from a disagreement about the scansion of a particular line in Shakespeare's sonnet from which Daisy's book of poetry (My Saucy Bark) derives its name.
Music Imagery
Henry's son, Theo, on the other hand, is a musician, and while no professional musician himself, Henry is at least competent on the subject of musical theory. Much of the imagery relating to Theo, subsequently, deals with music, such as Henry's description of jazz theory and the stylistic alteration of notes and chords as symbols for various aspects of reality. Theo's guitar playing is remarkable as well, eliciting much musical praise.
