The Lifted Veil

The motif of a veil is used throughout The Lifted Veil as a way to relate the revelations associated with death and truth that Latimer experiences during moments of double consciousness. Latimer’s power of insight acts to reveal the true natures of his family and companions, lifting the “veil” of Victorian manners and social personas to expose who they truly are as people (14). This is painful for Latimer, as the truth he discovers beyond this “veil” reveals those around him to be narrow-minded and often mean-spirited individuals. The lifting of a veil signifies the lifting of illusion and deception and is associated with the novella’s theme of how death contributes to a better understanding of other living individuals (and perhaps to the nature of consciousness).

For Bertha’s 20th birthday, Latimer gifts her an opal ring—a symbol of the novella’s theme of public personas, private thoughts, and expectations in marriage. He is disappointed when he doesn’t see her wearing it to dinner that evening and confronts her, discovering that she instead wore it on a chain around her neck and hidden underneath her dress. She criticizes Latimer for his lack of faith and puts the ring on her finger: “It hurts me a little, I can tell you […] to wear it in that secret place; and since your poetical nature is so stupid as to prefer a more public position, I shall not endure the pain any longer” (17).