Olga's Clothing (Visual Imagery)
In the novel's opening pages, Olga's "old-lady" dresses are described with intense visual detail. Julia explains that they are shapeless with obnoxious patterns, and they make Olga look like a chaste elderly woman. The imagery of the dresses is juxtaposed with the imagery of Olga's lingerie, which Julia finds while snooping in her sister's closet. Olga's lingerie is finely textured and sensual, and Julia is shocked to learn that her sister ever possessed these items. These two disparate images demonstrate the differences between Olga's public and private presentations. It is important to understand that Olga was both a dutiful daughter and a sexually active young woman. In her use of imagery, Sánchez demonstrates that the contrasting elements of Olga's personality coexist; one does not cancel out the other.
Sierra Madre Mountains (Visual Imagery)
One day in Los Ojos, Julia describes the Sierra Madre Mountains that surround her town as "so stark and impossibly tall that they fill [her] with an inexplicable panic." When Julia arrives in Mexico from Chicago, she struggles to cope with her anxiety and feels pangs of dread at random moments. When she sees the mountains, she is reminded of elements beyond her control, which unsettles her. The mountains can metaphorically represent the challenges that Julia is faced with throughout her life. She must learn to overcome these difficulties in order to emerge a more confident, well-adjusted young woman.
The Pig Slaughter (Auditory Imagery)
In Los Ojos, Julia attends a dinner with her family in which they prepare chicharrones, a fried pork dish. Tío Chucho and Julia's cousin, Andrés, kill the pig for the meal. Julia describes the pig slaughter with detailed auditory imagery. She explains that its "desperate and brutal cries give [her] goosebumps," and she feels disgusted when she hears the "pop and crackle of the frying flesh." This scene demonstrates how Julia crosses two different worlds—her life in Chicago is much more "Western," and there are some aspects of life in Los Ojos that she is unable to relate to. As a first-generation immigrant, Julia feels not quite "at home" in either place—she sometimes feels too Mexican in the United States, and too American in Mexico.
Olga's Corpse (Visual Imagery)
The first chapter of the novel contains numerous images of Olga's body. As Olga lays in her casket, Julia describes the scrapes on her face and her "wax-figure-like" makeup job. This image expresses the brutality of Olga's death after she was struck by a bus while crossing the street. As the story progresses, it is clear that Julia is haunted by Olga's corpse as it appeared in the casket. In her use of visual imagery, Sánchez expresses the visceral horror of Olga's death and its lasting psychological effects on the family.
