Winter imagery
At the beginning of the novel, Mathilda describes her surroundings, using beautiful imagery: "it is winter and the sun has already set: there are no clouds in the clear, frosty sky to reflect its slant beams, but the air itself is tinged with a slight roseate colour which is again reflected on the snow that covers the ground." Here, Mathilda uses imagery to introduce the setting and the winter season.
Isolation imagery
Mathilda also describes her home, saying that she lives "in a lone cottage on a solitary, wide heath: no voice of life reaches me. I see the desolate plain covered with white, save a few black patches that the noonday sun has made." Mathilda's use of imagery here emphasizes her isolation and her misery, emphasizing the emotions of the story she is telling us.
The blight of misfortune
Describing her past miseries and how they have affected her life, Mathilda uses imagery. She tells us that she is "in a strange state of mind. I am alone- quite alone- in the world... the blight of misfortune has passed over me and withered me." By describing herself as having "withered," Mathilda foreshadows her poor physical health and imminent death.
