Improvement and craving for decency
Hildred Castaigne had to admit that New York was changing. He noticed that, “everywhere good architecture was replacing bad” and sudden “craving for decency had swept away a great portion of existing horrors”. “Streets had been widened, properly paved and lighted, trees had been planted, squares laid out, elevated structures demolished and underground roads built to replace them”. This imagery had to show that in spite of the improvement of the city, there were many problems. As soon as a description of the quickly developing city ends, readers learn that the Lethal Chambers were built alongside with pretty structures and modern underground roads.
An embodiment of ugliness
Mr. Wilde looked rather scary. “Half a dozen new scratches covered his nose and cheeks, and the silver wires which supported artificial ears had become displaced”. That man looked like a caricature of himself. His left hand was “absolutely fingerless”, he was “very small, scarcely higher than a child of ten, but his arms were magnificently developed, and his things as thick as any athlete’s”. In spite of everything above mentioned, Hildred Castaigne was “hideously fascinating”. This imagery awakes an uneasy feeling, for it is rather unpleasant to read about flaws of Mr. Wilde’s appearance but impossible to stop.
A real king
According to Hildred Castaigne, he was a king. Due to the fact that there were many enemies, he couldn’t wear his crown safely in public but he was able to do that in his bedroom. “The diamonds flashed fire” as he turned to the mirror, and “the heavy beaten gold burned like a halo” around his head. He was the one true king! This imagery is rather disturbing, for it is clear that Hilfred needs to be in a hospital, because he is insane. The crown he wear is not a real one, but for him it is made of genuine gold and expensive stones.
