Imagery, in a literary text, is an author's use of clear and expressive language to add intensity to their work. It advances to human senses to develop the reader's understanding of the work. Powerful forms of imagery mesh all of the senses. Normally, it is thought that imagery makes use of special words that create a visible description of ideas in our minds.
In a 1939 letter, John Steinbeck wrote that his goal for The Grapes of Wrath was “to rip a reader's nerves to rags.” Through the novel, Steinbeck wanted readers to experience the life of the Dust Bowl migrants with whom he had spent time.
