The Imagery of Letters
The bachelor pronounces, “There you are, with only the soulless pen and the snow-white, virgin paper. Your soul is measuring itself by itself, and saying its own sayings: there are no sneers to modify its utterance, no scowl to scare, nothing is present, but you and your thought. Utter it then freely- write it down- stamp it-burn it in the ink!-There it is, a true soul-print.” Letters echo the soul of an individual for they accommodate a writers’ thoughts. The allegorical ‘soul-print’ reflects the capacity of letters to reflect the soul of an individual extraordinarily. Letter-writing is analogous to transcribing one’s intimate soul.
The Imagery of Phantoms
The bachelor concedes, “I know not, justly, if it be a weakness or a sin to create these phantoms that we love, and to group them into a paradise, soul created. But if it is a sin, it is a sweet and enchanting sin; and if it is a weakness, it is a strong and stirring weakness.” Phantoms are essentially charming for they elicit paradise-like feel. People are captivated by the illusions which they create in their minds.
