His Eyes Were Open and His Mouth Smiled (Visual Imagery)
In contrast to Concha's memory of Pepe's father as the figure of dignity and authority he had once been in Manila, the narrator comments on how Pepe had earlier that day brought his father lunch to find "the old man slumped forward in his chair, unconscious, although his eyes were open and his mouth smiled." In this example of visual imagery, Joaquin describes the shocking zombie-like physical appearance Pepe's father has taken on since becoming a "ghost" of his former self while re-visiting his homeland.
Arrowy Silhouette of a Pagoda (Visual Imagery)
As Connie and Paco's relationship deepens while remaining strained, Connie brings him to the Chinese quarter of Manila. Joaquin writes that there are "wet walls, wet cobbles, bridges arching over stagnant canals, craggy tenements dripping rain into tight twisting streets, a raggedness of black roofs and the arrowy silhouette of a pagoda soaring in the rainy moonlight." In this example of visual imagery, Joaquin enhances the air of mystery and foreboding that surrounds Connie by describing the dark, damp, and impoverished area to which she brings Paco.
The Babble of Departing Folk Faded Remotely (Auditory Imagery)
After two weeks without seeing or hearing from Connie, Paco leaves the club one night to find her yellow convertible waiting for him on the street. Everything else in his periphery suddenly becomes meaningless, melting into the background as "the babble of departing folk fade[s] remotely." In this example of auditory imagery, Joaquin immerses the reader in Paco's point of view by describing how Connie's presence is such a powerful draw on Paco that any sound not coming from her fades into the same background as visuals unrelated to her.
The Stranger's Footfalls (Auditory Imagery)
At the end of the novel, Pepe reflects on how his father returned from his month in the Philippines a changed man. He "remember[s] the stranger's footfalls he had been alarmed to hear in his father’s room when his father should still have been in Manila." In this example of auditory imagery, Joaquin immerses the reader in Pepe's point of view by describing the distressing sound of an unknown person's feet walking in an apartment that should have been empty.
