Fairy Imagery
As this novel includes fairies, there is naturally a lot of imagery relating to these inhuman creatures. They are described as being diminutive in stature and, counter-intuitively, advanced in technology. These fairies have a police force, the LEP, that enforces the line between the magical and human societies, and both of these sides are described with great detail.
Criminal Mastermind Imagery
Artemis Fowl is a young criminal mastermind, and the imagery surrounding him proves it. He has a mansion, and it is full of both illegally obtained items and high-tech scientific gadgets that allow him to do the things he does during these adventure novels. He has a bodyguard (Butler) and a fairy-powered supercomputer he created himself, in addition to many more such objects. The imagery, in short, accurately depicts him as a dangerous crime lord crossed with James Bond, despite his young age.
The Contact Lens
In terms of symbolic imagery, the contact lens is perhaps the most striking image in the novel. Holly (a member of the LEP) gives Artemis a special hazel-colored contact lens with high-tech surveillance capacity. The only problem is this: Artemis's eyes are blue. This gives him the appearance of being slightly enhanced, which is precisely what has occurred; the danger of this altered appearance reflects the danger of Artemis's operation.
The Golden Medallion
Artemis stores all of his memories inside a gold medallion, which he gives to Mulch for safekeeping before allowing the fairies to try to erase his memories. The image of this medallion reflects Artemis's attempt to hold on to his previous life: this one piece of jewelry holds an entire life inside it, making it a powerful image of memory and trust. The color of the medallion (gold) also reflects its worth: Artemis loves gold, making this medallion seem particularly meaningful to him, which it is.
