Shadow (symbol)
A shadow symbolizes the dignity of a man. This is a property of the personality that gives the opportunity to appear openly in the sun, that is, to be the subject of a general review. And on the contrary, the loss of the shadow involuntarily drives the victim into darkness, for he is ashamed to appear in society. Owners of a good shadow in the story are, as a rule, honest people, not corrupted by the morality of the trading world. This is, above all, Schlemihl himself. Prior to acquaintance with the "man in gray" he possessed a "strikingly beautiful shadow," which he threw away from himself, "without noticing it himself." The last words are especially noteworthy. The real human dignity, according to Chamisso, is possessed by modest people, with a clear conscience. With such a decipherment of the essence of the shadow, it becomes clear that it is what the "man in gray" is interested in, personifying the fantastic nature and social power of wealth. The rich, who make fortunes by means of dirty machinations, need a good shadow, i.e. they need to cover themselves with human dignity, so that their trading nature is invisible. Therefore, in the story, they also cast a shadow, which, however, does not reflect, but on the contrary hides their true content. They have a shadow of their own and bought for gold, it allows them to maintain the reputation of honest people.
Fantastic (motif)
It becomes clear that the enigmatic guest of Mr. John himself is Satan, personifying in the story a mystical nature and the miraculous power of money. Like all German romantics, Chamisso writes about the supernatural, demonic origin of wealth. The bourgeois order for him is the result of an abnormal development. However, unlike other Romantic writers, Chamisso, introducing fantastic motifs into the narrative, does not break with life, portrays it quite widely. Fiction in his work is not so much an element of the concept of the world as much as a stylistic device that gives an opportunity in a conditional romantic form to uncover the real contradictions of the era, in particular, the destructive power of gold.
Folklore (motif)
Folklore motifs appear in the story through the appearance of the nest of invisibility, the seven-miles boots, the sale of a soul, and some other instances. Turning to the folklore motifs helps the author to depict the reality more vividly, thus integrating realistic with fantastic. As a tool within a narrative, folklore is very effective in creating romantic images, and in the story it is widely used.
