The naked bird
An important instance of imagery appears in the story "Mr. Green’’ towards the end, when the narrator describes the bird that plucked almost all its feathers. As there were fewer feathers on its body, the bird started to resemble the narrator’s grandfather more and more before he died. This makes the narrator realize that everyone is subjected to aging and eventually dying and this makes it easier for her to take a decision about the fate of the bird.
Jesus and the mattress man
As the narrator of the story "The Trip Back’’ rides through Texas, he notices all kinds of business and signs on the side of the road. He notes how most of the businesses are owned by Vietnamese people who try to make a living. The sign that attracts his attention is of a shop advertising mattresses and under it a quote about Jesus. While the narrator recognizes that Jesus has little to do with mattress selling, he does appreciate the way in which many business men try to attract their customers. Thus, the sign is used here as an image that transmits the ways in which the Vietnamese people were trying to survive and make a living and build a new life for themselves.
The empty place
In the story "Fairy Tale’’, the narrator talks about the men she sleeps with and how some have a white spot on one of their fingers when they come to her. The narrator knows that those men are married and thus cheating on their wives but she still continues to sleep with them. The image of the empty space is important for the narrator because it represents something she could never have, that is a loving relationship with a man who is not paying her to have sex with him.
Talk like a woman
In the story "Crickets’’ the narrator describes his appearance and compares it with the way in which Americans looked. Ted noted how most of the Americans were extremely tall and how his height is similar to that of an American woman. This image of Ted comparing himself with a woman is important because it shows the way in which Ted portrays himself. Ted does not see himself as a man in America but rather as someone who has no power, who is perceived as being weaker. Ted also transmits through this that it is possible that the other Americans around him are perceiving him in the same way as well.
