Thomas
The narrator provides a vivid description of Thomas, a situation that facilitates the creation of mental images in the reader's mind. This makes the story interesting and appealing: "The matted blocks of his long gray hair were tucked into the collar of a sagging army coat. His face was starred with burst veins. His nose was lumpy, purple. He had once been handsome, and still wore a yellowed silk scarf tied like a movie-star ascot. He asked Thomas if he would stand him a drink."
Moses Montrose
The description of Moses Montrose seating behind a cup of bitter tea enhances imagery. The reader is not only able to visualize him, but also able to imagine him as being calm: "Moses Montrose sat calmly behind a cup of bitter tea. The tribal judge was a small, spare, carefully groomed man who wore his sixty-five years lightly."
LaBatte
The narrator describes LaBette, the evening janitor, in a way that paints an image of him as a stocky, little bear for the reader. To do so, the narrator highlights his build, nose, and breath: "LaBatte was a short man with the rounded build of a small bear. He peered in at Thomas. His pug nose pressed to the glass. His breath made a circle of fog."
Thomas Smoking
A simile is used to enhance the imagery of rising smoke in this quote. Additionally, the hole in the sky is imaginable as it hurtles, glows, and winks: "Thomas drew slowly on the cigar. Blew the smoke upward, like a prayer. Buganogiizhik, the hole in the sky through which the Creator had hurtled, glowed and winked."
