The night sky
At the start of chapter three, author Dave Eggers paints a vivid picture of the night sky. Eggers talks about a "billion stars" being "siblings to our sun," showing how vast and expansive the night sky is. Eggers does this not only to establish the novel's setting; he does to underscore how many options people and animals across the world have.
The plaza
At the start of chapter 4, Eggers creates expansive, intense imagery of the plaza. He describes the plaza as being a "gigantic tilted area" that humans often stride across. He paints the picture of the plaza as an imposing, almost evil place. For the animals in the novel, this imagery evokes fear; for the humans, it evokes a sense of calmness and serenity. This dichotomy underscores the terror many animals face because of the threat caused by humanity, which has imposed its will everywhere.
Sounds
Eggers often uses auditory imagery to enhance portions of the novel, like the sound of rustling, crunchy leaves, flowing water, silence, and noises from other animals. This imagery immerses readers into the novel's world and illuminates why the characters do certain things.
Johannes
On page 36, Johannes encounters a family that is traveling through his park. At this time, Eggers paints an intense picture that shows the damage human intervention has done on animals. Because of the abuse that Eggers says the animals have gone through, Johannes (and everyone else) freeze.
