Sign language
The novel is filled with images that show the instructions to certain words or phrases in sign language. The images are related to the progression of the plot, for example, when Charlie only begins to learn sign language, the images show basic greeting and introductory phrases, or when she has an intimate experience, the images don’t shy away from showing the phrases involving that.
The meaning of “be”
From the start of her learning journey, Charlie is confused because she is unable to detect the sign for the word “be”, the word that means one existence. Once she gathers the courage to ask, Austin visually shows her that her “being” and the “being” of everything else is implied in the movement of her fingertips.
Visual and auditory representation of her disappointment
Despite everything, eager to gain her mother’s approval, Charlie tells her about ASL classes she’s been taking and the progress she has made. At her mother’s seeming interest in ASL, Charlie asks her to come to one of the classes, to which the mother replies an unenthusiastic “maybe”. This answer is followed up by the visual and auditory representation of Charlie’s disappointment:
“Now Charlie’s cone was growing soggy, and she watched the orange cream drip onto the table. There was something buzzing, horsefly-like in her head, more a feeling than a sound, and she didn’t know if it was her implant or an unkind thought.”
Visual imagery of Charlie’s attraction to Austin
Charlie’s attraction to Austin is not only on a physical level. She notes that she is mostly attracted to the idea of him and the life he had as a deaf person that she wish she had. He wasn’t shamed for his deafness or had his parents trying to desperately fix this part of him, but was encouraged to accept and be proud of it. This is followed up by a visual image of this desire:
“When she nestled up close to him, she undeniably felt desire – to be with him, sure, but also to sop up his knowledge, the confidence propelling his every sign, to absorb his good fortune and the flash in his eyes, swallow him whole.”
