Mister Imagery
In Chapter one of The Street Lawyer, the narrator introduces Mister using vivid descriptions that enhance and precipitate the creation of mental images in the mind of the reader, giving an appealing touch to the story. The imagery begins with the description of the man's '"black rubber boots, dirty and much too large," the imager becomes more established as the narrator further describes the man's "frayed and tattered trench coat" that "fell to his knees." Additionally, he introduces the "layers of foul clothing that bunched around the midsection" a situation that paints an image of the stocky man: "I finally glanced over I saw the boots, black and dirty and much too large. A frayed and tattered trench coat fell to his knees. Under it, layers of foul clothing bunched around his midsection, so that he appeared stocky, almost fat. But it wasn't from being well fed; in the wintertime in D.C., the street people wear everything they own, or so it seems."
Imagery of the actions of the man with rubber boots and the narrator's office
As the narrator enters the office, the man enters behind him slamming the door and waving the gun through the air. As the reader reads through these events, they are able to visualize these actions. Additionally, the narrator describes the room in which they are held captive as "being dominated by a long table, covered with documents and papers," "a row of windows that overlooked the parking lot" and "two doors that led to the hallway." This particular choice of descriptions enables the reader to be acquainted with the setting of the kidnapping, that is, the room where the kidnapping occurs: "The man with the rubber boots slammed the door behind me, and slowly waved the gun through the air so that all eight litigators could admire it. It seemed to be working fine; the smell of its discharge was more noticeable than the odor of its owner. The room was dominated by a long table, covered with documents and papers that only seconds ago seemed terribly important. A row of windows overlooked a parking lot. Two doors led to the hallway."
Imagery of the man with rubber boots (Mister) after taking charge of the narrator's office
After he takes over the room in which the narrator is with seven other litigators, the narrator provides a vivid description of Mister as he removes his filthy trench coat, folding it as if it were new and places it at the center of the table. The reader is able to conceptualize the smell that overpowers the room and Mister as he stands at the end of the table, slowly removing his cardigan. As he removes the cardigan, the rows of red sticks which are later revealed to be dynamite are presented to the reader and the wires that run like colored spaghetti from the tops to the bottoms of the sticks: "He removed his filthy trench coat, folded it as if it were new, and placed it in the center of the table. The smell that had bothered me in the elevator was back, but not important now. He stood at the end of the table and slowly removed the next layer--a bulky gray cardigan. Bulky for a reason. Under it, strapped to his waist, was a row of red sticks, which appeared to my untrained eye to be dynamite. Wires ran like colored spaghetti from the tops and bottoms of the sticks, and silver duct tape kept things attached."
The Imagery of Mister after being gunned down by the SWAT team
The imagery begins as Mister lurches forward and the narrator's face instantly covered with blood and fluids. The narrator can be visualized screaming and Umstead yelling behind Madam Devier's desk. The seven litigators can also be visualized as they scramble off the table like scalded dogs, yelling, and digging towards the door. The scene is explicitly and vividly described as: "Mister lurched backward without uttering a sound, and my face was instantly covered with blood and fluids. I thought I'd been hit too, and I remember screaming in pain. Umstead was yelling somewhere in the hall. The other seven scrambled off the table like scalded dogs, all yelling and digging toward the door, half of them dragging the other half. I was on my knees, clutching my eyes, waiting for the dynamite to explode, then I bolted for the other door, away from the mayhem. I unlocked it, yanked it open, and the last time I saw Mister he was twitching on one of our expensive Oriental rugs. His hands were loose at his sides, nowhere near the red wire."
