Imagery and Figurative Language in “Ark of Bones” by Henry Dumas Anonymous College

The short story “Ark of Bones” by Henry Dumas was originally published posthumously in 1974. The story is based on a black person named Headeye who undergoes a mysterious experience to deliver his people. Dumas tells the story from the first-person point of view through the persona of Fish-hound who is one of the characters with whom Headeye interacts. In telling the story, Henry Dumas uses imagery and figurative language, such as metaphors, symbols, personification, and allusions, to enhance the story’s characterization.

Throughout “Ark of Bones”, Dumas uses images to enrich characterization. To start with, through Fish-hound, he describes Headeye as “big head of his” (Dumas 1). This description is important because it allows the reader to visualize how Headeye’s head looks like. He also observes that Headeye’s “eyes looked bigger in his head” (Dumas 1). By characterizing Headeye in this manner, the reader can imagine how Headeye’s eyes might look like by creating mental pictures. Additionally, when the Fish-hound observes that the waves which were “slappin the sides of the bank made the water jump around and dance”, the reader creates a mental image of how turbulent the water was (Dumas 3). Significantly, imagery not only...