Young Hurtle and the Oil Painting
In one of his first visits to the Courtneys' house, Hurtle is stunned to see their array of fine art and objects. A French oil painting has an amazing effect on him, and he is so drawn to it that he cannot resist reaching out to touch it. White writes: "By reaching up, his fingers slithered over the ladies' full, old-fashioned skirts, trembled on the bathing-machines, and plunged towards the sea. He was sweating as his fingers arrived at the wet sand and pale water. He would have liked to lick the tempting paint, but the picture was hung beyond reach of his tongue" (54). This image is striking: the young painter before he knows he is a painter, so compelled by his form that it is not enough to take it in with just his sight.
Planchette
The trio of Hurtle, Rhoda, and Maman sitting in a circle, hovering their fingers on the Planchette, is one of the most memorable in the first half of the novel. This is possibly because the Courtneys do not often do anything at all; they more often talk, eat dinner, etc. The Planchette also stands out as a kind of a voodoo play in a text with heavy Christian overtones, and that the characters form a type of trinity invokes this religious symbolism.
Duffield and Cutbush in the Moonlight
This moment is a memorable image for the way it doubles: readers see it once, in the actual scene, and then see it again as Duffield transforms it into a painting. In a novel almost entirely situated close to Duffield's consciousness, it is one of the few times where we see him from the outside. He returns to the image again and again as he tries to capture Cutbush in painting; in those depictions, his own figure is left out.
Nance Lightfoot in the Ravine
The image of Nance's bloodied body at the bottom of the gorge is a striking one for its gruesomeness. But even more interesting is the image of Duffield peering down at it with disgust but also with fascination and even a little thrill. This image of him looking down at the body perfectly encapsulates his menacing voyeurism – she is no longer a person to him, but merely subject matter to be studied.
