The Window
...“the arid feeling which he had so often experienced lately was probably what is called loneliness.” (198). He has so cut himself off from the outside world that he is not comfortable with even going to a bridge game at his broker Gerald Wardho’s house, “but had no intention of entering servitude again just yet, losing his freedom…” (197), as if to say that he would be losing his freedom if he were to engage in activities with people outside his isolated cage. As he makes an effort to mingle with people at these dinner parties he always comes back home to the beautiful window which is now a mirror, “the window was dark and the room was reflected from floor to ceiling against the blackness” (197). He seems to leave his home with a clear conscience that he is happy in his own little world, but comes home to this mirror that forces him to reflect upon his choices. He may enjoy the interaction with people but can not admit that to himself. He sees the intruder through that same mirror, which brings him to the realization that death is near and the purpose of his life must soon be found. Like the window, the wood ash also symbolizes the inner turmoil he is going through in which his lack of spiritual beliefs have led him to being out of touch with the outside world, and lacking the passion and drive he once had. “As time went on, though, he had to make an effort to summon this happiness, for it seemed to elude him. ….gray, like wood ash that falls in pieces when it is touched, seemed to be behind his chair, and this shape teased him and communicated to him that he had left humanity behind, that a man needs humanity and that if he ceases to be in touch with man and is not in touch with God, he does not matter. “You do not matter any more,’ said the spectre like wood ash before it fell to pieces, ‘because you are no longer in touch with any one and so you do not exist. You are in a vacuum and so you are nothing” (195-6). The spectre of the wood ash speaks to him and tells him that he is no longer human if he cuts himself off from the world. The falling apart of the wood ash symbolizes his lack of passion and fire that he may have once had in his younger years, which may have led to his becoming a successful business man, but not a happier person. He has left his wife and country to find out what it is he wants, but this discovery still eludes him. The wood ash asks him this question over and over again because he himself has not decided what makes him happy. “The spectre was not always present at these parties but sometimes awaited him at home and said these things” (197). Again, he is unsure of his decision to isolate himself, and sees the spectre because he does not know what he wants from life. Seeing the spectre leads him to doubt his decision, as if to say being in touch with people verifies a person’s existence. He has left his wife and does not want another woman in his life, because that would mean making a commitment. That would mean a constant human contact, however, with men it is different as contact with them is limited “and then everyone went home” (198). He seems to want to come to terms with his inner turmoil, as he throws a dinner party at his own home, but is still looking unhappy. He is unsure if this is the kind of life he wants to return to. He starts to see beauty again, especially that of a woman, “He left her, with a feeling of beauty seen” (200). The spectre of the wood ash has him doubting his decision to want to be alone. Light is another form of symbolism that is mentioned over and over again throughout the story. His lack of beliefs in his younger age and his desire to have something to believe in now, have subjected him to sitting in front of the window with his head in his hands trying to break through the great wall to be able to see the light, “He must in some way and very soon break the great wall that shut him off from whatever light there might be” (202). He sees the lights that make the less spectacular mou...