The palazzo (Visual, Tactile Imagery)
Juliana Bordereau's expansive, decaying Venetian mansion is often described in detail and features heavily throughout the story, adding to the foreboding atmosphere that James is able to create over the course of the short novella. Descriptions of the house focus on its immense size, which emphasizes the loneliness that Miss Tita and Juliana exist in, and also highlights how the house—and its owner—has long since passed its glory days.
Venice and the Italian landscape (Visual Imagery)
The narrator frequently roams through the streets of Venice or visits different parts of the city on gondola rides. As he wanders, the landscape provides a physical space in which he can think about his quest outside of the oppressive atmosphere of Juliana's house. Towards the end of the story, the descriptions of Venice are notable for their lack of detail; as the narrator becomes more preoccupied with the letters, he ceases to notice the beauty of the city around him.
Juliana's eyes and appearance (Visual Imagery)
Juliana keeps her eyes covered with a veil most of the time in order to protect them. However, when she discovers the narrator snooping in her drawers for the letters, she uncovers them. Her "extraordinary eyes," along with her head, expression, and the "hissing" sound of her voice all paint her as a terrifying figure that frightens the narrator. She transforms into a horrifying image as she confronts the narrator.
Miss Tita's transformation (Visual Imagery)
At the end of the story, the narrator sees Miss Tita in two drastically different ways. When he enters the room, before she tells him that she has burned the letters, he is surprised by how angelic and beautiful she looks. However, after she reveals that she has destroyed them, it is as if she physically transforms in front of him and becomes ugly. He is repulsed by how pathetic he believes her to look once more. This visual transformation is a reflection of how the narrator feels towards Miss Tita.
