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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
Part 1: Book 1, Chapter 4: The Third Son, Alyosha
Explanation and Analysis—Alexei's Memories:
Dostoevsky uses vivid imagery when describing Alexei’s early memories of his mother, Sofya, who died when he was still very young:
He remembered a quiet summer evening, an open window, the slanting rays of the setting sun (these slanting rays he remembered most of all), an icon in the corner of the room, a lighted oil-lamp in front of it, and before the icon, on her knees, his mother, sobbing as if in hysterics, with shrieks and cries, seizing him in her arms, hugging him so tightly that it hurt, and pleading for him to the Mother of God, holding him out from her embrace with both arms towards the icon, as if under the protection of the Mother of God [...] What a picture!
Though Alexei’s memories are incomplete, they are nevertheless surprisingly sharp and detailed. Here, Dostoevsky employs rich and detailed visual imagery, noting the “slanting rays of the setting sun,” the decor in the room, and the sight of Alexei’s mother “on her knees,” kneeling piously before a religious icon. He also invokes the sense of sound, noting the “quiet summer evening” that is disrupted by her “shrieks and cries,” underscoring her emotional and psychological distress. The narrator describes the scene as “a picture,” suggesting that certain images have stuck with Alexei with surprising vividness despite the otherwise fragmented nature of his memories.
Explanation and Analysis—Fyodor's Appearance:
The narrator describes the physical appearance of Fyodor Karamazov using both simile and detailed imagery:
His physiognomy by that time presented something that testified acutely to the characteristics and essence of his whole life. Besides the long, fleshy bags under his eternally insolent, suspicious, and leering little eyes, besides the multitude of deep wrinkles on his fat little face, a big Adam’s apple, fleshy and oblong like a purse, hung below his sharp chin, giving him a sort of repulsively sensual appearance. Add to that a long, carnivorous mouth with plump lips, behind which could be seen the little stumps of black, almost decayed teeth.
Though Fyodor claims to have been handsome in his youth, the narrator describes his current appearance as notably unattractive. Using visual imagery, the narrator itemizes his features, including “the long, fleshy bags” under his “leering little eyes,” the “multitude of deep wrinkles” across his face, and his “long, carnivorous mouth” that conceals “black, almost decayed teeth.” Here, the narrator suggests that Fyodor’s outer appearance reflects his inner nature. The narrator’s simile that describes Fyodor’s Adam’s apple as being “like a purse,” for example, matches his greedy and acquisitive personality. Indeed, elsewhere Fyodor acknowledges that he is physically unappealing and claims that he needs to hoard money in order to hire sex workers in the future.
Part 1: Book 2, Chapter 2: The Old Buffoon
Explanation and Analysis—Zosima's Appearance:
The narrator describes Zosima, a revered elder at the local monastery, using detailed imagery:
He was a short, bent little man, with very weak legs, who was just sixty-five, but, owing to his illness, appeared much older, by at least ten years. His whole face, which, by the way, was quite withered, was strewn with little wrinkles, especially numerous around his eyes. His eyes themselves were small, pale, quick and bright like two bright points. A few white hairs remained only on his temples, his pointed beard was tiny and sparse, and his often smiling lips were as thin as two threads. His nose was not so much long as sharp, like a little bird’s beak.
Here, the narrator uses visual imagery to present a detailed portrait of the venerable old man. He was, the narrator states, “a short, bent little man” who appears much older than his actual age due to his illness. His face “was strewn with little wrinkles” but, despite his “withered” appearance, his eyes shine “bright like two bright points.” This imagery suggests that Zosima may be physically weak, his body in a state of deterioration, but his mind and spirit are still active, as reflected in his eyes that shine as if illuminated by an inner light. Through this rich imagery, Dostoevsky contrasts the physical body of a person to their soul or spirit.
Part 1: Book 3, Chapter 2: Stinking Lizaveta
Explanation and Analysis—"Stinking" Lizaveta:
Dostoevesky uses detailed visual imagery in his description of the appearance of “Stinking Lizaveta,” a poor and disabled young woman who becomes pregnant under mysterious circumstances, likely abuse by Fyodor:
This Stinking Lizaveta was a very short girl, “a wee bit under five feet” [...] Her twenty-year-old face, healthy, broad, and ruddy, was completely idiotic; and the look in her eyes was fixed and unpleasant, though mild. All her life, both summer and winter, she went barefoot and wore only a hempen shift. Her nearly black hair, extremely thick and as curly as sheep’s wool, formed a sort of huge hat on her head. Besides, it was always dirty with earth and mud, and had little leaves, splinters, and shavings stuck to it [...]
In The Brothers Karamazov, a character’s outer appearance often reflects some aspect of their inner nature. Here, Dostoevsky uses imagery that emphasizes Lizaveta's child-like and simple personality. Under five feet tall, her face is “healthy, broad, and ruddy” and the “look in her eyes was fixed and unpleasant, though mild.” Instead of wearing regular clothing, she “went barefoot and wore only a hempen shift,” and her “nearly black hair” is “extremely thick and curly as sheep’s wool,” and “dirty with earth and mud.” These visual details characterize Lizaveta as having both child-like and animal-like aspects, suggesting that she exists outside of the human community of the district.
Related Themes:
