In this passage of James Weldon Johnson's novel reflects on his youth and his infatuation with an older girl from his church. Through the use of literary elements, such as imagery and symbolism, Johnson conveys the narrator's complex response to his crush and the emotions that it inspires in him. One of the literary elements that Johnson employs in this passage is imagery. The narrator uses vivid descriptions to convey the physical appearance of the girl, creating an almost ethereal image of her in the process. For example, he describes her as having "hair like the sunlight," which suggests that she is an almost otherworldly beauty. Similarly, he describes her eyes as being "like stars," which creates an image of her as being something transcendent.