Chairman's Quarters
In the narrative, Mei paints a vivid image of the Chairman and his quarters. She describes him as "a wooden top, spinning out of control, twirling fastest before it wobbles and falls" to convey his unpredictable nature and lack of control over his emotions. The room is filled with an eerie atmosphere that seems to linger in the air; it is said that "his wife's jasmine scent" still lingers from her visit earlier. The two teacups on his desk also suggest that he had company recently, adding to the mystery of the scene. Finally, Mei mentions how she moves from this tense environment into a library which serves as her haven at the Lake Palaces. This shift in tone creates a contrast between these two settings and emphasizes the importance of finding solace in learning even during difficult times. This imagery serves to illustrate how drastically different life can be for Vanessa Hua in such a short amount of time; she goes from living with her family in rural China to spending time with high-ranking officials within a year.
Feast
Servant Ping brings an elaborate lunch of “steamed spare ribs, cured ham with pickled beans, fish heads in chili sauce, and a heap of rice” to the desk where the protagonist is sitting. The tea is smoky on her tongue and the fish head morsel is so tender it almost melts against her tongue. The author also describes in detail how the spring roll crunches between the protagonist’s lips as she greedily devours it. This image illustrates how much pleasure the protagonist takes from feasting on plenty - something she was deprived of during times of famine. It also shows her appreciation for every luxury that comes her way, even if it is just a simple meal. In addition, this imagery emphasizes how different Secretary Sun’s life had been from hers – since he had never experienced hunger or deprivation due to his privileged background – which made him uncomfortable at seeing someone like her eating so voraciously.
Bring Us Victory
The image of a rock being skipped across the water is used to describe how the protagonist feels after the Chairman requests that she bring victory to their cause. She feels “fleet and light”, like a rock skipping across the surface of the water as if she can accomplish anything. The imagery also appears in the following description of her mother's dowry bead after the Chairman leaves. When she holds it up and runs her thumb over its carvings, it brings back memories of her mother contorting in fever dreams, desperate for deliverance from illness and pain. Later, the bead also displays what Teacher Fan sacrificed to protect her, while also providing strength when Teacher Fan folds her hand around it in a gesture of solidarity. By combining these two images– that of a rock skipping lightly on water and that of solidarity found in holding onto something meaningful – the passage paints an evocative picture of perseverance despite adversity.
Family Home
One imagery used in the story is that of the Chairman’s family home turned into a museum, with “the packed earth floors and two wings around a courtyard”. This imagery conveys a sense of nostalgia for the Chairman's childhood when he was growing up in his family home before it was turned into a museum. The narrator also paints an image of the Chairman's mother indulging him with surprises after every chore, such as “long beans to chew or scraps of red thread” to tie around his wrist, which suggests her love and care for him. Lastly, the narrator imagines offerings left at her sister's burial mound - grains of corn and liquor - symbolizing her spirit seeking a place in their home due to never having married or had children to remember her. All these images create an emotional atmosphere that evokes feelings of longing and sadness for both characters.
