The poet fashions her glass “paper nautilus” shell not for authorities or writers who are famous for their comfortable, harmless work. Though the shell can perish, it is a symbol of hope, and she makes the outside white and the inside glossy. She is on guard as she waits for the eggs to hatch.
She is buried in her eight arms and is like a devil-fish (a great ray), for she covers and hides her precious “freight” but does not crush it. She compares her behavior to the crab and hydra attacking Hercules, seeing how when they are ready the eggs ultimately free the shell and themselves as they leave this “fortress” of love.
