Previous
Hyperbole
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
Imagery
Explanation and Analysis—The Pear Tree:
Before the dinner party, Bertha stands in front of her drawing-room windows and gazes out at her beloved pear tree, providing readers with their first glimpse of this important symbol and using imagery to tease out several central aspects of the story:
At the far end, against the wall, there was a tall, slender pear tree in fullest, richest bloom; it stood perfect, as though becalmed against the jade-green sky. Bertha couldn't help feeling, even from this distance, that it had not a single bud or a faded petal. Down below, in the garden beds, the red and yellow tulips, heavy with flowers, seemed to lean upon the dusk. A grey cat, dragging its belly, crept across the lawn, and a black one, its shadow, trailed after. The sight of them, so intent and so quick, gave Bertha a curious shiver.
This is a seemingly placid, even Edenic image, at least on the surface: Bertha’s garden appears flush with color and flowers, approaching natural perfection. Yet the description is also undercut by foreboding details, such as the creeping cats—described as “intent” and “quick,” as if in the midst of hunting—and the bent-over tulips, which are burdened by their own petals. This tension mirrors the shift in mood—from ecstatic to mournful—to come in the story, as Bertha ultimately loses her “bliss.”
This description also alludes to the power of Bertha’s own runaway imagination, which will later lead her to believe, erroneously, that she and Pearl share a romantic connection. Looking at her garden, Bertha “feels” that the tree has “not a single bud or a faded petal” on it, but she cannot know for sure, since she is too far away from the tree to see it clearly. Therefore, her garden’s profound magnificence may merely be a fantasy or delusion, further diminishing the splendor of the image.
Additionally, the pear tree—which occupies a central position in the garden—is reminiscent of Bertha’s own limited, proscribed position as a woman in the early twentieth century, at the tail end of the restrictive Victorian era. Bertha is objectified: as an attractive and competent housewife and hostess, she often seems to function as a status symbol for her husband, who is concerned with keeping up appearances and demonstrating his own power. The pear tree, too, serves as a beautiful object to be displayed and admired, symbolizing the Youngs’ wealth and standing. Bertha’s attraction to the tree may result in part from a subconscious feeling of affinity with it.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Unearthly Light:
Bertha is overjoyed when Pearl Fulton accepts her invitation to look at the pear tree in her garden. She finds herself transfixed by the moment they share while looking at the tree together, and her rapturous feelings are ultimately conveyed through the following passage's ethereal, almost heavenly imagery:
How long did they stand there? Both, as it were, caught in that circle of unearthly light, understanding each other perfectly, creatures of another world, and wondering what they were to do in this one with all this blissful treasure that burned in their bosoms and dropped, in silver flowers, from their hair and hands?
This description, which frames Pearl and Bertha as angel-like figures united in their experience of “blissful treasure,” captures Bertha's feeling that her connection to Pearl—however tenuous or fictional—has afforded her access to transcendent, otherworldly joy. Bertha’s attraction to Pearl seems to play out on a spiritual plane, detached from material reality, though it also involves the corporeal: emphasis is placed upon Pearl and Bertha’s “bosoms,” “hair,” and “hands.” By contrast, Harry, Bertha’s husband, is described elsewhere with very little physical detail, suggesting that Bertha’s love for Pearl—which seems to unite body and spirit—is far more meaningful than her "love" for Harry.
What's more, this description seems intentionally ornate and overwrought, relying on melodramatic clichés like “unearthly light” and “creatures of another world.” Though “Bliss” is written in the third-person, the narration adheres closely to Bertha’s perspective, and it seems likely that the narrator is echoing Bertha’s own thoughts in this moment. That Bertha can only resort to these overblown clichés and fixate on such divine imagery demonstrates the magnitude of her feelings for Pearl, as well as the difficulty she faces in understanding and expressing them.
Related Themes:
