The opening lines
The novel's opening lines depict sight imagery to bring out the vivid description of the setting. The author writes, “Mr. Tench went out to look for his ether cylinder, into the blazing Mexican sun and the bleaching dust. A few vultures looked down from the roof with shabby indifference: he wasn’t carrion yet. A faint feeling of rebellion stirred in Mr. Tench’s heart, and he wrenched up a piece of the road with splintering finger-nails and tossed it feebly towards them.”
The imagery of General Obregon
General Obregon's imagery shows the physical appearance of the yard, which helps readers to grasp Obregon’s intention to strike a Norther. The author writes, “General Obregon was about thirty yards long. A few feet of damaged rail, one lifeboat, a bell hanging on a rotten cord, an oil-lamp in the bow, she looked as if she might weather two or three more Atlantic years if she didn't strike a Northern; in the gulf.”
The imagery of the village
When it rains, the village becomes mud and impassable. The author uses sight imagery to describe the village’s condition during the rainy season. The author writes, “There was no paving; during the rains, the village (it was really no more) slipped into the mud. Now the ground was hard under the feet like stone. The two men walked in silence past barbers' shops and dentists'; the vultures on the roofs looked contented, like domestic fowls: they searched under wide dusty wings for parasites."
