The engraver's apprenticeship
Rousseau is a natural born artist. His craftmanship has a mythic origin in his backstory because he begins his professional artistic career as an engraver's apprentice, except that the economic aspect of the engraver's business and focus made Rousseau disgusted. This is Rousseau's memory of discovering his own aversion to art for economic benefit. In his mind, there is simply no reason to do art other than from a mystical experience of one's self that demands expression.
The prostitution motif
A common literary motif is present in Rousseau's recollection of early adulthood. A woman not so young as he confronts him with a sexual offer; she can supply stability and economic comfort to him so that he can continue his art without the daily constraints of earning money, but he must become her sexual companion. In a strange way, this sexual chemistry represents something about Rousseau's character in general, which is that his artistic expression of self has a soothing quality in his community. People need his honesty, and they are prepared to pay him for it. Is he a mental/artistic prostitute? That is a common approach to art theory in literature, so it is uncanny to see this in his real life.
Joining the Catholic church
Rousseau is famously not deceived by the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church, and yet, either for his own religious awakening, to learn from the church in some other way besides religious devotion, or to participate in a cult-like tribal community, Rousseau decides to make every effort to be in community with his local church. One artistic response to this might be that perhaps Rousseau's call to art simultaneously felt to him as a call to prophetic ministry, which often brings dissonant people into religious communities, because art is often a religious endeavor.
The Village Soothsayer
Look at the shamanic role of the mystic character in Rousseau's first drama, an opera that was received with critical acclaim by the name of "The Village Soothsayer," or in French, "Le Devin Du Village." That character is involved with the symbolic union of the opposites. The shaman or "diviner," or "soothsayer" helps reconcile a troubled romance among the village youth. His insight helps them to harmonize their seemingly incompatible natures. One could easily write essays on the art theory of this opera; Rousseau might be describing his process of creation.
Exile as a symbol
Rousseau's story has an allegorical narrative as Rousseau himself hints at by naming his opera after divination. He is archetypally a heretic and mystic, because he joins the church but they barely accept him, and only because he toys around with the language of his true beliefs to fool them into believing he is persuaded by their theology; he is absolutely not swayed by their opinions of Christ. In the end, his exile is a symbol for his true heroic nature. Because he is a true prophet of truth, communities turn him away. This motif dominates the Old Testament narratives of prophecy. Rousseau's Confession is basically that he is an artistic and philosophical prophet. To his credit, there are many who would read this and say, "Well, duh, what else could one possibly call him?"
