Eric as Bystander
The story is about bullying and victimization and the very first victim that the protagonist sees is presented through significant use of imagery. "Eric could see that his shirt was torn. Ripped along the side seam, so that it flapped as he ran. And . . . was that blood? There were dark red splotches on the boy’s shirt and jeans (crazy to wear those on a hot August afternoon)." This description is very effective at communicating a wealth of information. The temperature, time of year, and time of day all contribute to the unexpected sight of a kid running seemingly running for his life.
Eric as Victim
Ironically enough, later in the story Eric will become a victim of bullying at the hands of the very kid he first sees running for his life. "Eric absorbed the blow, crumpled like a paper cup. He felt the cool earth on his face. It was nice, like a damp towel. Eric tasted grass, and dirt, and a warm trickle of blood from his lips." While the above passage is an example of using imagery to describe something being observed, this excerpt is used to put the reader right into victim mode. The image of lying in a fetus-like position face down in the soil with the tickle of a trickle of blood is effectively visceral.
First Day of School
The excitement of the first day of school is presented through imagery. Eric approaches his new school and finds a mass of students entering into the building like "a babbling river, to resounding shouts and waves and chatter...Eric was immersed in a roiling sea of faces. The noise, the tumult, the clatter! Eric brushed up against soap-scrubbed girls wearing strawberry lip balm, pushed past boys whose armpits were slathered with sickly-smelling antiperspirant." This description is a highly detailed presentation of the experience of filing into the sort of controlled chaos that is hundreds of people all sharing the same limited space. The smells, the sounds, and the metaphorical comparisons to water all contribute to bring the portrait to life.
The Unexpected Bully
The main bully of the school is introduced with imagery that is almost ironic. "His hair fell around his eyes and below his ears, wavy and uncombed. He had soft features with thick lips and long eyelashes... and looked, well, pretty." This imagery describes a middle-school boy named Griffin. What makes it especially effective is how it confounds all expectations. At this point in the narrative, Eric has just met Griffin and though he has reason to suspect he may be involved in a bullying situation, his feminine appearance makes it seem unlikely he is the leader of the gang.
