Baseball imagery
The foreground imagery of the novel is Ethan's obsession with Baseball. He loves the sport, although he is pretty bad, perhaps the worst who ever lived, but that shows the value of Baseball in his opinion. He didn't even have to be good at it—Ethan conquers Coyote by just his love for Baseball and the way it transforms him into a sharper, more skillful person.
Natural imagery
There is an intimate depiction of nature, especially trying to capture it from the point of view of innocence. As adults, it is easy to forget that before we had long, epic experiences of "daily life," there is no real rhythm except for the rhythms of nature. Ethan depends on his connection to nature as a way of healing, because the mourning process is an embodied process—he looks to nature for support as he mourns his more obvious support source, his mother. He looks to "mother nature."
Divine mythic imagery
There are clear indications of sublime, mythic imagery between Ethan and nature, especially how he perceives nature. He sees nature as a source for imaginative problem solving. He sees nature's rhythms and patterns as symbolic mythically, as if the external world represents his internal emotional journeys. This imagery is obvious in characters like Coyote and Cutbelly, who are simultaneously characters and also agents of fate.
Hero imagery
All in all, Ethan could be said to be a portrait of the hero. Just like Bilbo Baggins has his ring and sword, Ethan has his Baseball gear, and that is how he endures the trials of a journey, the climax of which is his encounter with the agent of evil, Coyote. The story is a portrayal of heroism through the lens of adventure, maturation, and technical excellence.
