qualities apparent from the start, even before he is able to survive decapitation. As Heller and Headon describe the figure, "He was dressed all in green. Even stranger, his hair, hands and even his face were green. The only part of him that was not green were the whites of his eyes, and when he opened his mouth the tongue showed red."(92) Though his ornate clothing establishes him as a respectable knight, the fact that he is entirely green is not normal. Green is often associated with creepy, monstrous things, so therefore the knight is given a supernatural quality by that color. "The extraordinary influence of the Green Knight's marvelous, eerie appearance" (Shoaf 159) has a mesmerizing affect on reader and knights of the round alike. As if the imagery presented during the Green Knights introduction weren’t enough to send the message of improbable and unrealistic events occurring on a regular basis, then when Gawain actually slices off The Green Knight’s head would be a major wake-up call. His picking it up only adds to the ability of the work to show us supernatural tendencies.A deeper sense of insight into the characters and the events of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight takes place through the author’s use of imagery not only as a descriptive tool, but as a bellwether of the theme. The author’s detailed descriptions allow the reader to clearly picture scenes and clothing, and his use of metaphors provides for a deeper understanding of the subject matter....
