Monday, November 25, 2013

What are some examples of imagery in The Outsiders?

Imagery is the use of visually descriptive, figurative language.  It's not always using words to get images to come to the reader's mind; it could be descriptive words that are trying to stimulate other senses as well.  


One way that Hinton uses imagery in the novel is in chapter one when she is describing the looks of the Greasers.  For examlpe, Darry's eyes are compared to "pale blue-green ice."  I don't think I have ever met anybody with eyes that color, but I can definitely picture what it would look like.  One of my favorite sections of imagery from the book is Hinton's description of Darry.  



If I had to pick the real character of the gang, it would be Dallas Winston--- Dally. I used to like to draw his picture when he was in a dangerous mood, for then I could get his personality down in a few lines. He had an elfish face, with high cheekbones and a pointed chin, small, sharp animal teeth, and ears like a lynx. His hair was almost white it was so blond, and he didn't like haircuts, or hair oil either, so it fell over his forehead in wisps and kicked out in the back in tufts and curled behind his ears and along the nape of his neck. His eyes were blue, blazing ice, cold with a hatred of the whole world.



That's just awesome.  He's related to fantasy elves and animals (lynx) all in the same sentence.  I can just picture Dally moving with catlike grace and barely contained, dangerous energy.  

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