The Bottle Imp

The bottle is an important and complex symbol, representing the attraction and danger of what the imp offers and thus The Reality of Evil. The outside of the bottle is beautiful and invites the beholder to spend more time with it. It is “milky white,” a color usually associated with goodness and purity, and contains rainbow hues. Keawe, the shopkeeper, and other characters in the story are intrigued by its unusual aesthetics. However, this outward attraction, like the appeal of the wealth and power offered by the imp, conceals something darker. There is a “shadow” that lurks inside the bottle, and its supernatural origins (“such glass was never blown in any human glassworks” [38]) remind readers of the bottle’s link to hell and damnation. Symbolically, the beauty of the bottle and the darkness within it represent the appeal of the imp’s offer and the price that those who accept it will pay.

One of the bottle’s most distinctive features is the fact that its owner can only sell it for less than its purchase price. This drives the story’s central conflict, as once the price of the bottle drops low enough, it becomes clear to potential buyers that they will not be able to resell the bottle and that they will consequently be damned.