The very first chords which Mademoiselle Reisz struck upon the piano sent a keen tremor down Mrs. Pontellier's spinal column. It was not the first time she had heard an artist at the piano. Perhaps it was the first time she was ready, perhaps the first time her being was tempered to take an impress of the abiding truth. She waited for the material pictures which she thought would gather and blaze before her imagination. She waited in vain. She saw no pictures of solitude, of hope, of longing, or of despair. But the very passions themselves were aroused within her soul, swaying it, lashing it, as the waves daily beat upon her splendid body. She trembled, she was choking, and the tears blinded her.

Which statement best describes the aesthetic impact the author intends this excerpt to have upon the reader?

A) The author uses sensory language to help the reader visualize the setting.
B) The author uses sensory language to show conflict between characters.
C) The author uses sensory language to appeal to the reader’s emotions.
D) The author uses sensory language to give physical descriptions of characters.