INTERPRETATION.
Cupid is an emblem of the heart. The Greek word for butterfly is Psyche and the same word means soul.
“The butterfly the ancient Grecians made
The soul’s fair emblem.”
—Coleridge.
The purpose of the story is to illustrate the three stages in the existence of a soul—its pre-existence in a blessed state, its existence on earth, its trials and anguish, and its future state of happy immortality.