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The young woman and subject of the oval portrait embodies the tragedy of the story and represents the concepts of innocence, devotion, and sacrifice. When the young lady first meets her future husband she is full of life and happiness, and symbolizes the beauty of life itself. She falls quickly and deeply in love with the artist, and it is inferred that her zest for life is why she is drawn to his passionate nature. In her innocence, she either ignores or is unconsciously drawn to the darker aspects of his personality, such as his intensity and austerity. The young lady’s love for her husband causes her to devote herself completely to him, but love and innocence soon give way to jealousy. The artist’s first and truest love is his art, and this causes the young lady to envy and ultimately hate his craft. Out of devotion to him, she nevertheless agrees to sit for her portrait and allows herself to be used as a still-life subject. Indeed, she remains still for weeks on end to sit for the portrait. As a result, she stagnates and the light inside her begins to die. Thus, her sense of devotion goes too far and causes her to sacrifice her life for her husband and his work. In a bitter twist of irony, by the end of the story, the painting itself appears imbued with life, but the life of the young woman is gone.

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