Everything on here is purely symbolic and nothing more.



The Symbolism Explained

- Main Character/Ylana/Dulcinea
- A woman striving to find peace and balance in her fractured life.
She is bitter and angry with herself. She believes that she has
been a fool.
- Princess/Gretchen
- The princess is the main character's belief and faith in love,
which has taken a serious wound.
- The Castle
- The main character's soul. The conflict is within her.
- The Gown
- A burial dress. Even in her bitter state, the main character
respects the beauty of her princess and wishes to preserve it.
- The Poisoning
- A non-violent act of death. It might be interesting to note
that the Greek word for death originally meant "separation".
- Don Quixote/Doctor Faust
- A man, very much like the main character herself, trying to
choose between the forces and desires in his own life.
He was once a very dear friend to the main character and
disappeared for reasons that can only be guessed at.
- Man in the Field
- Someone who only sees his labor until forced to see otherwise.
He's a decent sort, but a bit cranky when he's interrupted.
- The Innkeeper
- A very busy person, who notices a great deal when he takes a
pause in his busy life. Enjoys people, but that enjoyment leaves
little time for himself.
- Byron
- A fellow seeker. His idealism is still intact, but he knows
there is something missing in life - direction.
- The Pilgrimage
- The main character's desire to find closure and peace.
- The City
- The World. The Rat Race. The rest of humanity.
- The Two Men
- Dreamers or visionaries. People who seek to make a mark on
the world that others would see as noble.
- The Great Endeavor
- Humanity's attempt to justify itself in its own eyes.
- The Tree
- Inadequate place of shelter. Gives more of a psychological
comfort than actual comfort.
- The Creature
- Someone who's main goal is physical gratification and wants
to make the main character into something similar. Misery wants
company. Whether or not he wants more, as Josh thinks, is
debatable.
- Josh and Mabel
- People who are more and willing to help after the fact, but
do nothing to prevent th harm from coming in the first place.
They believe they are doing their duty to God and their fellow man,
but have become addicted to their "noble" view of themselves.
There is a sense of empowerment when we can help someone else, but
when we allow the harm to happen on a re-occuring basis, we are
part of the problem. It may be a form of Munchauser (sp?) Syndrome,
where people set up situations so they can appear to be heroic to
gain praise and attention.
- The River
- A major obstacle in the main charater's life. The traditional
way of overcoming this obstacle (the broken bridge) has failed.
- The Trail
- The general approach to the problem, based more on panic than
wisdom and forethought. The ruts represent just that - ruts.
The tried and true isn't always the best.
- The First Ferryman
- Someone who wants a family to fit in or prove his virility.
Not really interested in a spiritual union, just the appearance
of one. Wants to be the one in control. The main character
has already lived a sham similar to this and has children of her
own who, according to our sources, were camping with their
cousins during this pilgrimage.
- The Second Ferryman and His Family
- An example of a good marriage, where husband and wife are
equal partners. Also people who help without ulterior motives.
- The Woman
- A wise person - keeper of the Spring of Peace and Healing.
The deeper, reflective part of the main character.
- The Spring
- Peace and healing. A restorative of faith in one's self.
- The Horse
- A more effective way of traveling. Freedom from guilt.
- The Resurrection
- The revival of faith and hope.
- The Integration of Dulcinea and Gretchen
- The act of accepting the disfranchised parts of one's self.
- The Thistle
- A desire to communicate when there is no way to effectively
do so. Thistle seeds are larger than most floating seeds and would
hopefully be able to travel a further distance.

The Eulogy
The Beginning
A Confession
The Pilgrimage
The City
The Tree
The Farmhouse
The River
The Spring
The Resurrection
Song of the Thistle
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