Allusion in Solitude

In Greek mythology, “nectar,” or ambrosia, is the food of the Gods on Mount Olympus. Mount Olympus was a place of excessive pleasure and comfort. In using this language, the speaker casts the positive side of life as an almost edenic existence. This allusion suggests that if one laughs instead of weeping, or rejoices instead of grieving, then they will enjoy the comfort of the gods on earth.

The presence of “echoes” and a “shrinking voice” may remind the reader of the story of Echo and Narcissus. In this Greek myth, Echo, a woodland nymph, fell in love with Narcissus, the most beautiful youth in the land. Echo told everyone she met how lovesick she was over the man. The Goddess Hera grew impatient with the girl and cursed her so that she could only repeat the last words she heard. When Echo tried to tell Narcissus that she loved him, she could only repeat his cruel words back to him. When he left her, Echo crawled into a cave where she wasted away until she was only a voice. While Wilcox does not explicitly reference this myth, the images she uses allude to the tale and its theme: speaking too much about one’s heartache will only cause one to end up alone.