Juxtaposition
"The waitress who handed her a menu was dressed in a black miniskirt and fishnet hose, but she had the face of a geometry teacher." Imagery is effectively used to describe a very minor character in this passage. The specific tool here is juxtaposition. Enough people have taken math classes in school to understand the subtle humor hinting that a geometry teacher is not usually seen in the provocative outfit being worn by the waitress. It is the chasm between the suggestion of a serious and conservative face against the sexual connotations of the skirt and hose that makes this imagery work.
Character Description
Juxtaposition is used differently in imagery situating the protagonist of the story. "Beth saw herself in the mirror of the girls’ room between classes, with her straight brown hair and narrow shoulders and round face with dull brown eyes and freckles across the bridge of her nose...The girls who belonged to the clubs wore lipstick and eye shadow." Physical appearances are here used for the purpose of illuminating status and popularity. The color brown and words like "narrow" and "dull" and the specific mention of "freckles" all go toward characterizing Beth as physically less appealing than the popular girls. More to the point is that those popular girls enjoy an elevated status that is dependent upon inclusion rather than exclusion.
Sensory Overload
In describing the protagonist first demonstrating her chess-playing prowess, the narrator observes that "Her mind was luminous, and her soul sang to her in the sweet moves of chess. The classroom smelled of chalk dust and her shoes squeaked as she moved down the rows of players." In just these two simple sentences, the author calls upon the reader to engage the senses of sight, sound, smell and even, metaphorically, taste. The imagery suggests that the character's intelligence is positively glowing while something deep within her core being is enjoying an ecstasy that can be heard. Almost everyone is familiar with the unique scent of chalk and the sound of squeaky sneakers.
Checkerboard
The protagonist is a chess prodigy. The first time she learns of the existence of the game, however, it is as a child through the more familiar recognition of a checkerboard. "But where the checkers should be there were little plastic things in funny shapes. Some were larger than others. There were more of the small ones than any of the others." Imagery is used here with purposeful simplicity of description. Eventually, those "little plastic things" that are vaguely shaped will become the focus of much more sophisticated imagery. The subtlety is that not only the protagonist but many readers, perhaps, will follow this path of learning that leads to greater mastery of that other game that is played on a checkerboard.
