How does Lilian Lee use imagery in Farewell My Concubine?

Lee makes use of vivid images throughout the novel..... images of violence, pain, and suffering that serve to underscore the starkness of life in China during this period. One of the most shocking images depicts Yanhong chopping off Douzi's extra finger. Although she does not actually describe the act itself, she includes several vivid images that follow the act, leaving a strong visual impression in the reader's mind: "Drops of blood in the snow traced Xiao Douzi's path. He now crouched in a lonely corner of the compound, whimpering like a maimed animal."