Chugged Down the Sandy Village Road in Automobiles (Auditory Imagery)
When detailing her girlhood in Eatonville, Hurston writes that "the Northern tourists chugged down the sandy village road in automobiles." In this example of auditory imagery, Hurston describes the chugging sound of the turn-of-the-century cars that would drive past her house. By emphasizing sound in addition to other senses, Hurston helps transport the reader to the time and place of her childhood.
No Dark Ghost Thrusts its Leg Against Mine in Bed (Tactile Imagery)
As she makes her argument for why white Americans have more difficulty living with the legacy of slavery than she does, Hurston writes that "no dark ghost thrusts its leg against mine in bed." In this example of tactile imagery, Hurston describes the feeling of a phantom presence touching one's leg while in bed. The touch-based sensory image emphasizes her metaphor about white Americans being haunted by the guilt of benefitting from slavery.
A Sharp White Background (Visual Imagery)
In an example of visual imagery, Hurston writes: "I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background." By bringing to mind the visual image of something or someone appearing darker when put in front of an intensely white background, Hurston illustrates her sense of alienation from her surroundings when she is in majority-white spaces, such as the campus of Barnard College.
