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Idioms
Definition of Imagery
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines... read full definition
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Introducing Félicité:
When the narrator introduces Félicité at the start of the story, they use imagery, as seen in the following paragraph:
Her face was thin and her voice was shrill. At twenty-five, people took her to be as old as forty. After her fiftieth birthday, it became impossible to say what age she was at all. She hardly ever spoke, and her upright stance and deliberate movements gave her the appearance of a woman made out of wood, driven as if by clockwork.
The narrator’s use of imagery here helps readers get to know Félicité in a more intimate way—they can hear her “shrill” voice (though she “hardly ever spoke”) and can also picture her “thin,” mysteriously ageless face. The narrator uses some figurative language in their imagery here too, as seen in their description of how Félicité’s “upright stance and deliberate movements” made her seem like she was “made out of wood” and “driven as if by clockwork.” Here, readers can visualize the almost mechanical way in which Félicité moved through her life.
This final description of Félicité being “driven as if by clockwork” is notable because it hints at Félicité’s constant drive to serve the people around her. Despite suffering tragedy after tragedy over the course of the story, Félicité remains a steadfast employee to Madame Aubain and a compassionate supporter of countless other people in her life (like her nephew Victor, several Polish refugees, and the impoverished Colmiche).
Related Themes:
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—A Summer’s Day:
Chapter 5 of “A Simple Heart” opens with the following paragraph, which is full of rich imagery:
The smells of summer drifted in from the meadows. The air was filled with the buzzing of flies. The sun glinted on the surface of the river and warmed the slates of the roof. Madame Simon had come back into the room and was gently nodding off to sleep.
The imagery here engages readers’ different senses—they can smell the “smells of summer drift[ing] from the meadows,” hear the “buzzing of flies,” see the “sun glint[ing] on the surface of the river,” and feel how it “warmed the slates of the roof.” They then get a peek into Madame Simon’s experience of “gently nodding off to sleep.”
Flaubert intentionally opens the final chapter of the story with this hopeful and peaceful imagery. While the mood of this moment may at first seem at odds with the content of the chapter—considering that it's the chapter in which Félicité dies—Flaubert is making a point here. Because Félicité has lived a pious and moral life in which she has extended compassion to everyone she has met (even those who have caused her great pain), her death is not a sad occurrence. The day is beautiful and calm because Félicité’s death is beautiful and calm—she passes away peacefully, smiling at the love her community shows her and at her love of God.
Related Themes:
