The central theme of Mark's oeuvre takes center stage in this one. The battle between the seductions of the Devil and the struggle toward the light. His need turns the desert into an ocean; the better angels have lost the battle again. Is "all of heaven's love" the narrator's brief redemption? Or is it actually the feeling of losing himself to alcohol, to dissipation? Or both?
The central theme of Mark's oeuvre takes center stage in this one. The battle between the seductions of the Devil and the struggle toward the light. His need turns the desert into an ocean; the better angels have lost the battle again. Is "all of heaven's love" the narrator's brief redemption? Or is it actually the feeling of losing himself to alcohol, to dissipation? Or both?