Human Longing and Self-Delusion

The two central themes of "Paradiso," human longing and self-delusion, are closely interwoven, and both examine human understanding of what is real and what is not. Perhaps the dividing line is simply between their general parameters: one theme has more to do with the individual and illusion, and the other more to do with humankind as a whole and illusion. The speaker in the poem is portrayed as a pathetic person, especially in the beginning when he is seen at a very vulnerable moment of elation that turns out to be in vain. He is like a scolded puppy that suddenly becomes excited and overjoyed when it appears his master is no longer angry with him. But the speaker is mastered by something more intangible and enigmatic, a concept difficult for him to grasp: his own self-deluded mind. From the outset, there is no doubt...