Belfast imagery
Because of the difficulties facing this Irish community, Judy's experience of Belfast is somewhat tried, but visually, it is her best shot at home. When she sees her community, she notices families and children, because that reflects her inward journey to be a mother and to know about that aspect of her identity. Her identity is also reflected in the imagery because of her memories and associations to the city.
Religious imagery
As Judy finds as an Irish Catholic, life is shaped by religion for Judy and her community. This is evident in the imagery because of the ubiquity of Irish Catholic churches, and also because there are symbols of Christianity all throughout Judy's life. Her battle for hope is ironically set in one of the most overt, unanimous religious communities in the area. Irish Catholics are strongly encouraged by the community to maintain their faith.
Hopelessness and imagery
Judy struggles with severe alcoholism. This can be seen as a kind of imagery that depicts not just alcohol, but Judy's own hope and experience. Because she suffers, the alcohol feels like medicine to her, but the trap of alcoholism is an ironic depiction of her claustrophobic relationship to hope. She feels that she cannot escape the negative effects of alcohol, and she doesn't really even want to, because her experience has taught her that there isn't anything to hope for in the future. Alcohol is a visual reminder that she struggles to maintain hope.
Blackout imagery
The imagery associated with Judy's drinking is that there is no imagery except what is reported to her through her landlord and neighbors. In other words, when she drinks, it is as if she stops experiencing reality, because later, she forgets everything that happened. The gaps in her memory are instances of terror and sadness, it seems, because the reader knows what is really happening. Judy's landlord explains that, in her experience, Judy's behavior is un-ignorable and quite sad. She literally yells and screams all day long, sometimes jubilant and manic, sometimes weeping.
