The Current
The newspaper for which Milvain works is called “The Current”, which emphasizes its aim of staying up-to-date with current affairs. This is an imagery that conveys Milvain’s flexible character in contrast with Reardon’s rigid skills, which lead him in the course of time to his end as a writer and as a man. Reardon is unable of adapting his writing to the contemporary demands of the era. Milvain, on the other hand, accommodates his writing to fit the current events and The Current as a journal.
Grub Street
The title of the novel is significant. In fact, it is an allusion to the historical street of the same name which became known for its association with hack literature. The use of the word “grub” is also important, as it implies that the writers are of low social status and influence.
The Reading Room
Gissing’s use of imagery creates a contrast between the darkness of the reading room and the light found in the open air: “She could labour on in the valley of the shadow of books, for a ray of dazzling sunshine might at any moment strike into its musty gloom.” This quote, in fact, describes Marian Yule at her daily task in the library; yet, in truth, it is applicable to the rest of Grub Street’s dwellers who are confined to a symbolic darkness; namely that of hack literature and unsuccessful careers.
Buildings, Houses, and Homes
Gissing’s use of imagery expands to architectural structures. Each single building or apartment is symbolic of a specific financial, social, and psychological state. The most prominent illustration is that of the Reardons who occupied luxurious quarters at the beginning of the story. As long as they did, their relationship was safe from hardships. When the question of change had become a necessity due to their decreasing income however, their home began to see minor alterations in the form of expenditures and sold items. Their relationship declined accordingly with every new step taken towards a humbler life. Eventually, Edwin Reardon was driven to a form of despair bordering on insanity. His quarters at that period consisted of an almost inhabitable garret. Thus, the architectural imagery in the novel goes hand in hand with the economical and psychological conditions of the characters.
The Imagery of Weather
Weather is used in the novel as a literary device which conveys the conditions of the different characters. The rainy and windy day, during which Reardon had set on foot to meet his wife at her mother’s house, for instance, serves as an imagery that is closely linked to his penury troubles and domestic hardships. He had exerted himself through a raging storm, which symbolizes all the hardships he could not overcome no matter how hard he tried. Similarly, at the close of the story, he sets forth through a snowy and freezing weather towards his wife and son. This coldness is only indicative of the very coldness of the grave which awaited him shortly.
