The Police Station
Sachar uses imagery in describing Armpit's visit to the police station with Detective Newberg to allow the reader to see the situation from Armpit's perspective. Armpit is an informant rather than a suspect, and through Sachar's use of imagery we see the new perspective Armpit has of the police station when he's entering it from the perspective of a free man. Sachar describes the police station as a three-story stucco building that Armpit has't been to since being arrested after the fight at the movie theater (p. 175). Sachar describes the sign when Armpit enters the building and him walking through the metal detector and into a dark back room as he recognizes the smell of pizza in the air. We see things through Armpit's perspective, and thus we feel his surprise when he peers through the one-way window and sees X-Ray in the interrogation room (p. 176).
South Congress Ave
Austin, Texas is separated by the I-35 into East Austin and West Austin. Armpit's father criticizes Mayor Cherry Lane as being preoccupied with West Austin and the issues it faces rather than reforming the flatlands of East Austin, where African-Americans have been relegated. We know from Armpit's father's description that West Austin is full of nature preserves, hike and bike trails, and beautiful sights (p. 3). When X-Ray and Armpit are on South Congress Ave, a street that is predominantly white, Sachar uses imagery to further highlight the difference between West and East Austin. Armpit describes Congress Avenue crossing over Town Lake, the several fancy hotels that line the lake, and the "majestic capitol buildings" with a "dome and white columns" (p. 74).
Armpit's Arrest
When Armpit and Ginny arrive at the Kaira DeLeon concert and are approached by a security guard asking to see their tickets, Sachar uses imagery to alert the reader to the importance of the situation unfolding. We see Armpit stand up to check his pockets and the security guard instinctively stepping back and calling for backup. We see the scene in high definition—Armpit still searching his many pockets, only to retrieve the tickets and be grabbed by the police officer and slammed into the ground (p. 102-104). The detail with which Sachar illustrates this scene of police violence against Armpit supports the theme of prejudice and allows the reader to see how quickly the situation escalates despite Armpit's intentions.
The Donkey Between Two Haystacks
In Armpit's economics class, his professor illustrates an economics concept with the image of a donkey standing exactly halfway between two identical haystacks. The professor explains that since the donkey has no real basis to use to choose between either haystacks, it stays in the middle until it dies of hunger. Armpit uses this image the describe how he's feeling after being faced with the decision of either letting X-Ray and possibly himself end up in prison or selling Kaira's love letter to Felix and Moses. Armpit sees the image clearly in his mind: "He couldn’t get rid of it. Its long ears drooped, and its head hung low as it became thinner and thinner.” (p. 204)
This image illustrates how his current situation is eating at him. The image of the donkey helps the reader understand the paralysis Armpit feels.
