The imagery of clutter
Clutter is obvious imagery because it is literally unignorable. But what isn't obvious is what the imagery suggests. For Kondo, the home is a reflection of the people living inside of it, so the imagery of one's own clutter is literally a suggestion of their own emotional health and their happiness. People who feel trapped by clutter tend to feel trapped in general. The imagery of clutter is mess, possessions, trash, keepsakes, games, puzzles, tools, memories, and thousands of other things that people own.
The tidy home
The tidy home is a portrait, because to see one's home clean is to understand the power one has over one's environment. it is a metaphorical kind of imagery suggesting autonomy, health, independence, and happiness. The healthy home is only attainable one way, through the titular Magic of Tidying-Up. Marie Kondo is a gift giver, because she offers this new kind of imagery to the lives of people who often haven't seen their house clean for years, who have forgotten how charming a tidy house can be.
The invisible imagery of attachment
The emotional process of determining what to keep and what to throw away is a kind of imagery, because it shows that for people who own things, when they look at the things they own, what they see is not the thing itself, but the attachment the feel toward it. By clarifying this invisible imagery, Kondo helps her clients to establish a realistic strategy for cleaning. Does the object inspire joy? If not, throw it away.
Kondo as a living portrait of joy
Kondo could walk in a home and say, "Oh my goodness, you guys live like pigs." How discouraging would that be? Would a person be more likely to feel inspired if that happened? No, so that's why Marie Kondo decides to be a living portrait of the freedom and joy that comes from cleaning. Her person is imagery that suggests a new narrative. Instead of feeling scared or dreadful about cleaning, she shows her clients that cleaning is restorative and joyful.
