mine the meaning and essence of unknown issues in life. She speaks of having no fear in meeting man’s creator. She states that she is in fact a sinner and knows full well, yet continues by questioning the superior God of his word and promises, referring to the existence of heaven and hell. However, even with the first three stanzas bearing importance of meaning, the fourth and final stanza serves to be a climax and contradiction of the remaining stanzas. For example, God says in response to the questioning of the narrator:“Nay! Those were but dreams,” the great God said; “Dreams that have ceased to be.There are no such things as fear, or sin;There is no you-you never have been- There is nothing at all but me!”God is apparently saying here that there are no absolute and universal truths among mortals. He extends as far as to declare himself as the only thing that exists in truth. This final stanza created two thoughts of interpretation and meaning as a reader. First, Wilcox could be stating a philosophical point dealing with life being nothing more than one large continues dream of a God. That is, we are nothing but actors in a constant play or dream of one superior being. That said, a sense of nothingness is relayed in that everything is an act of illusion and not reality. The second interpretation being that the conversation is between the narrator and her subconscious thoughts. Possibly implying that each individual’s thoughts and physical being are the God. If that were the case then the narrator comes to a realization that self worth and self based principles, free of societal tutelage, are the only aspects that we should take notice. Meaning that everyone and everything around us should not influence our thoughts and beliefs. Implying in a sense that we as individuals should only exist to be existent in ourselves, as well as the outside distractions of society remain invisible...
