The Impatiev House
The Impatiev House, which is also known as the House of Special Purposes in the book, acts as a source of powerful imagery. Its effect on the reader can also be thanked in large part to the author's experience in Russia and his familiarization with the unique architectures present in the country. This is the main setting of the book and gives us the idea of a grand prison. The descriptions are repeated over and over and we see the house continuously throughout the book. Whether it is the painted windows that block any view of the outside world and bake the house to a stifling temperature. Or the steel bars that cover those windows and prevent the family from even leaning outside. Or even the tall barricade that surrounds the house like a fortress, only this time it is to keep its occupants in. This imagery is strikingly powerful and conveys to us the terror and isolation that the Romanov family must have felt.
Brown Fur Hat
The well-known brown fur hat of the Russian soldiers is imagery that pops up everywhere in the novel. These hats are specially made in Russia at the time and were used by soldiers of all the armies, whether it had been the previous armies of Russia or the Bolshevik soldiers, to keep out the bone-chilling cold that affected everyone in the land. The presence of these hats in the novel meant that a fight or argument with the soldiers was forthcoming. They represented the arrival of the Bolshevik soldiers and often conveyed the terror that the Romanovs would feel when they saw this familiar imagery walk around the complex.
Darkness
The overwhelming use of darkness is the novel is used in a way that is well-documented throughout literature. The darkness provides a feeling of fear, violence, and tragedy. All three were exemplified by this imagery in the book. During the passages of the novel, the darkness or any plot events taking place during the darkness would foreshadow something severe about to happen. The most obvious example of this is when the Tsar and his family are woken up in the middle of the night. They are told that there current location is not safe and they are hastily moved to the cellar of a nearby building. Before they can even truly wake up, something violent and tragic happens. In the black of the night, a firing squad executes the royal family. This imagery of darkness helps invoke an instinctual fear in the reader.
Jewels
The royal jewels that belong to the Tsar and his family are the result of their former position as rulers of the nation. They had absolute control of all the working of the country and had the power to funnel wealth and riches anywhere, and that often meant it was going straight to them. The imagery and usage of jewels pops up often in the novel and acts as a way for the family to hold on to the past. They sew the jewels into the clothes they wear as financial support if ever needed, reminiscing about the time when they possessed untold amounts of wealth. They take the jewels with them when they are moved to a new location, imagery that gives the distinct sense of the past traveling with the family. In this way, the author Robert Zimerman uses this imagery precisely and effectively to communicate the connection that the Romanovs still have withe the life they had previously lived.
