Animal Imagery
Animals play a pivotal role in the novel, especially in scenes that involve evocative images. They generally seem to be aligned with Ransom and St. Anne's, especially considering Ransom's compassion and the tendency of the N.I.C.E. to exploit nature for their own gain. Ransom, additionally, has acquired authority over animals, and Mr. Bultitude (a bear) seems to work for him. The animals work against the N.I.C.E. - at the end, the animals on which the N.I.C.E. was experimenting broke free and slaughtered most of the organization, with Mr. Bultitude putting an end to their Head, Alcasan.
Color Imagery
Descriptions of color vary dramatically between the two opposing factions, the N.I.C.E. and St. Anne's. The N.I.C.E. is almost monochrome in its impersonal sterility: most descriptions seem to describe it as various shades of a depressing gray. St. Anne's, by contrast, is full of light and color and creatures of all kinds. This imagery of color reflects the state of each organization's relationship with life and nature; St. Anne's embraces and celebrates it, while the N.I.C.E. exploits it in the name of "progress."
Imagery of Ransom
Ransom's role as a Christ-figure is evident even in the imagery Lewis uses to describe him. He has the identifying wound on his heel, as does Christ figuratively (from the prophecy in Genesis 3:15), and he sits in what Jane feels to be a "throne room." Despite his age, he seems young and supernaturally solid, making others in the room seem feeble and old (reflecting Jesus's divinity). He is described as a King, the rest of the novel's imagery steadfastly supporting this claim without explicitly stating it.
N.I.C.E. Imagery
The organization of the N.I.C.E. is clearly evil, and the imagery used to describe it supports this interpretation. As mentioned, the place is impersonally grey and sterile, but there is a horrifying and attractive element to its character that goes beyond basic description. This imagery is evident in both Fairy Hardcastle, who is not attractive whatsoever and yet has a grotesque sex appeal, and the disembodied head of Alcasan, who has a repulsive appearance but exudes an aura of power.
