The Self

The Self represents both the material, physical body and conscious intellect. It is the part of oneself that the speaker (and, by extrapolation, all of us) is aware of on a day-to-day basis. The Self exhibits materialism as they explore the concrete physical beauty of their beloved objects, as well as an introspective, philosophical attitude to life and its purpose. They believe that what they accomplish in life is ultimately meaningless, because they’ll only live the same patterns and relationships again and again. In spite of the mistakes they might have made in the past, they understand that through self-forgiveness comes tranquillity and peace.

The Soul

The Soul is the first character to speak, yet they’ve disappeared off set by the start of the second canto. In contrast to the Self, the Soul concerns itself with spiritual ascendance. It invites the Self to transcend its...