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TTIE FUNETION OF IMAGES IN LITERATURE

ori€inatly an image was a sculptu-red. or modeled representation of

a person-.
- Hence, a,n image is a.Iiteral or conerete representation of an
exbernal object, or a Sensoly expelience ttrat' can be knoum by one
or more of the senses.
It is one of the distinctive elements of the "Ianguage of art"; it is
ttre meanS of comrnturicatin$ ex;lerience in itS rictrness and
emotional complexitY:
o a visual image in paintin$, sculptr:re, film-, or photography
o notes in music
o Word-s jn Jiferature (poetry, prose' or (lrama)

Words i:0. Literature

In a sense alrnost, aII word-s in literatire functiolL as images:

Literal Ifrages

\. perceived tbrough tb.e senses - Iiteral; images such as apple, do$, cat,
walk, fl-owet, blue, d.ancb and so od

FiEftrative ImaEles

Literatr.:re employs conplex ima$es ca1led- fi-$urative images;

These figurative images or words comrnurjcate ira a complex ma,:n-rrer
involving the read-er in a subtle process of ma,]ring compa,risons between
or a.rnong different e5periences or objects.

hro llPes of Fi$Wa6iYs rma{es

e simile: the comparison is ex;llicit: A is Uke/as B
mad-e
For exa,mple: "My love is ljke a red, red rose"

*e metaphor:
, ffi"""r"ffi:':,1#ffi*:i+J:3, Fly-rrap'

ImaEles in Fiction
. */ Tmages, image clusters, or image patters are often keys to the d.eeper
meani11g of litera^:5r work. The advantage of images are their ability to

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evoke feelin$s and- qualities beyond. the reach of and- more effectively
powerfully ttran direct statement

The job of the literary scholar al<a you is bo develop the ability to
crititaJ.ly analyzethese images, to interpret the si$ni-fi-cance of ttrese
'images.

WorkinS with Images

Two €uid.elines to gain a greater understandjng of ttre signitrcance or

fu:rction ef images:

I) observe ttre literal qualities of the image; make su-re you

r:nd_erstand- fu]Iy the literal qualities of the ima$e that is used- in
either the d-irect or implied. comparison. For exa,m-ple: "My love is
. Ule a red, red. rose" - the more you know aborrt the qrralities of a
rose and- of the colour red. ttre more you will r:nd.erstand. the loved
one.
2) Respond. imaginatively by drawing inferences from the Iiteral
image brrt consider wtrich of these inferencbs seerrl apBqopriate to
ttre context and- consid-er how they enrictr your und-erstandin$ of
the texb.
5) Once you have gone throu€tr this process of observi!.$ the literal
qualities of tlre im.agefiMord, inferrin$ the symbolic si5lnificance of
tne image/word., yolr must then s5mtJresize your findin$s (combine
. your obserirations with your inferences) thus creatin$ a'theory
about the signjfican-ce of ttrese images to the theme or meanin$ of
the texb.

$ample: consid-er th.e opening im,ageF/word-s used- in the ex;losit'ion

for "The Black,Cat"
,,My immediate BurBose is to place before the world, plainly,
succinctly, and without comment, a series of m.ere ]rousehold event-"
(Poe 59)

Observation: Ifn-n e,rn ed narrabor

Lrference: fai-lure to neme su$$ests a generalizin$ of experience, no-t
ttris character but anY characte

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 Obeels/a,tion-: llse of ttre word- purpose
(- Inference:.the use of the word prrrposq foregror::rd.s.ttre intentionally
. of the r::::na,med. narratbr, a fact very rels\rant to th'e story that
unford-s ::. r
.lj' ,.ti,\j)

Obeerva,t'ioD-: use of the words "plainly and succinctly"

Inference: the use of tl:ese word-s reveals mUch about the eharacter of
tiris representative fi.Sr:re. IIe sees thin$s plainly irnplyin$ in a black
and. white manner; he malres bold. jud-gments. $imilsJ'ly, succinctly
im-plies that b-e does not d.eliberate-

Oo-eerration: use of the words "mere household events"

T-aference: describing what has unfolded as "mere" reveals his lack of
. norality. Household events suggests his $oal was to disrupt ttre
domestic sohere. to disnrot tris u:rion \,\rith trls wife from. the. first-

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