Loud Continuous Horn (Auditory Imagery)
On his first excursion out of the house as a dark person, Anders goes to the grocery store. While stopped at a traffic light, he looks at his reflection in the rearview mirror and becomes lost in his thoughts, wondering if by looking for signs of his former whiteness he is pushing that whiteness further away. He doesn't snap out of it until he hears "the loud continuous horn of the car to his rear, and he started to move past a signal that had some seconds ago turned green." In this example of auditory imagery, Hamid breaks up Anders's rambling inner monologue with the abrupt sound of the driver behind him laying on her horn.
Sound of a Fist Hitting the Side of a Face (Auditory Imagery)
As increasingly more people in society spontaneously change color, Anders observes growing hostility in public. One evening at the gym, a white man and a dark man get into a physical fight outside the gym. Anders is among the bystanders who silently watch the brawl. Hamid writes: "... and soon the two men were punching, and it was ferocious, and out of the grunts and the shuffles came the sound of a fist hitting the side of a face, the solid crack of it, the thud, softly liquid and bone breaking at the same time, such a visceral, disturbing sound that it made Anders turn away." In this drawn-out example of auditory imagery, Hamid immerses the reader in Anders's point of view by detailing the sequence of violent sounds that come from the altercation.
That Spring Smell (Olfactory Imagery)
After a difficult winter in which Oona's mother stays indoors, a sense of optimism emerges with the arrival of spring. Hamid writes: "... some sunny days it was warm enough to open the windows in the early afternoon, and the smell that entered the house was that spring smell, that smell her husband had once called with a wink the smell of the time to frolic." In this example of olfactory imagery, Hamid describes the distinct scent of renewed plant growth, which Oona's mother associates positively with more carefree days.
Smell of Fuel and Fresh Asphalt (Olfactory Imagery)
Toward the end of the novel, Anders goes out walking more often, and he observes how society is returning to normal after the fall riots and winter lockdown. As a sign of renewed investment in society, crews are out repairing the town infrastructure. Among the different works, Hamid notes "a bright yellow compactor rumbling as it resurfaced a road, the smell of fuel and fresh asphalt picked up and pushed along by the breeze." In this example of olfactory imagery, Hamid details the chemical scents of the road being resurfaced to immerse the reader in Anders's point of view as he appreciates what the routine maintenance means for humanity at large.
