The Oval Portrait

The story’s title and the focus of its action and imagery all point to the symbolic significance of the eponymous oval portrait. The description of the portrait’s remarkably lifelike expression is a clue to what the portrait represents: the attempt of art to capture life “realistically.” The frame narrator’s reaction to the painting demonstrates that this attempt is unsuccessful; his discomfort may contribute to an “uncanny valley” effect. Rather than capturing the spark of his wife’s life to create an immortal version of her beauty, the painter has created an off-putting near-copy that disturbs instead of uplifts the viewer.

The painting is a vignette—a portrait painted without a border. Since the image of the painter’s wife is borderless, the gold frame that houses the painting functions as its border, much as the frame narrative “houses” the story of the painter and his wife. This points out the symbolic significance of the gold border—and thus of the frame narrative—as well. The effects of both the portrait and the story depend upon the presence of an audience, something outside of the painting and the story that can contain their meanings.