Burnt Toast and TV Static (Olfactory Imagery)
When Agnes and Big Shug go away on holiday, their bed-and-breakfast has a distinct scent. Stuart writes: "Each carpeted landing had a different, settled-in musk. The place smelled of burnt toast and TV static, as if the landlady never liked to open a window." In this example of olfactory imagery, Stuart immerses the reader in the characters' experience of moving through the building by describing the distinct smell of each level.
Stoked the Hunger in His Belly (Visceral Imagery)
At Leek's flat, Shuggie anticipates a simple meal made by pouring boiling water on dry noodles and flavor powder. Stuart writes: "He knew he had to let it stew for five minutes, but the tub burnt his hand, and the smell of the cheap noodles stoked the hunger in his belly." In this example of organic imagery, Stuart emphasizes the strong internal feeling of hunger Shuggie has by describing the physical hunger pangs in Shuggie's empty stomach.
Her Insides Lifted (Visceral Imagery)
After learning of her antagonistic neighbor Colleen's misfortune, Agnes feels a private sense of triumph. Stuart writes: "It occurred to her that they were equals now, and she couldn’t be ashamed at how her insides lifted at the thin woman’s bad news. She bit her lip to stop from smirking." In this example of visceral imagery, Stuart describes Agnes's physical feeling of internal joy to convey to the reader that she is pleased by Colleen's bad news but knows she ought to hide it.
New Peace (Visual Imagery)
Toward the end of the novel, when Shuggie is staying with Leek, he studies how his older brother's appearance has changed over the years he has been living on his own. Stuart writes: "His older brother still had the stoop, the knotted shoulders, the tight mouth, yet now his eyes looked green instead of grey, and his hair was pushed confidently away from his face. Shuggie regarded him as he watched the television and envied this new peace in his faraway eyes." In this example of visual imagery, Stuart updates the image of the troubled young man to convey how Leek has achieved a new serenity since putting distance between himself and his alcoholic mother.
