Chrono-Synclastic Imagery
Winston Niles Rumfoord and his dog, Kazak, have flown with their spaceships into a chrono-synclastic infundibulum, a space phenomenon that has entirely transformed them into something utterly different, now existing as wave phenomena constantly spiraling between planets and through space. Rumfoord also has the ability to see through time. When they materialize on Earth once every 59 days, they give off a strong presence with a slight tinge of electric flow. The dematerialization, however, is more striking: they fade from existence, often with fizzing, shrinking, glowing, and other dramatic imagery that serves to emphasize their current nonhuman states.
Human Wonders Imagery
Constant learns near the end of the novel that the constructions of all the great wonders of humanity were merely mind-controlled actions sending Salo a message from the Tralfamadorians. Salo speaks of specific wonders: for example, the Great Wall of China reads, “Be patient. We haven’t forgotten about you,” and the Kremlin says, “You will be on your way before you know it.” This imagery serves to heighten the terrible irony of the situation.
Religious Imagery
There is a lot of religious imagery throughout this novel, especially ironic imagery. The entire novel can be seen as a mockery of organized religion ("the Church of God the Utterly Indifferent"), and much imagery reflects this fact. A notable example is Constant's banishment from Earth: already being the primary figure in a religion, he ascends a platform shaped like a cross and ascends into the heavens, paralleling the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus in the Christian tradition. Instead of heaven, though, he travels to the far-off moon Titan, which orbits Jupiter. In this way, religious imagery only serves to parody religion instead of advocating it.
Alien Imagery
This novel includes lots of interplanetary travel, and much of it is concerned with extraterrestrial beings. Despite originally being from Earth, the Martians arrive in flying saucers and carry Earthlings off to Mars, brainwashing them into joining their army. The only actual alien who appears in the novel, Salo, is described in a striking alien way: he is from another galaxy, has skin the color and texture of a tangerine, has three eyes and no arms, has a round head hanging on gimbals, speaks with a voice like a bicycle horn, and speaks five thousand languages. This completely inhuman description serves to heighten the novel's sense of alien-ness through imagery.
