In Theory of the Stained Glass Winow

 In Theory of the Stained-Glass Window 
By JessicaRae 
 
The mystery of the beautiful stained-glass window. It has always intrigued me, as I too had a stained-glass window in my bathroom that my mother made with frosted glass, forming pink flowers with green shaded leaves and black leading. They were intended to be roses, although they looked more like tulips. The sun shined through the colors, casting brilliant shadows across the room beyond.  
In Vincent’s room, of course there is no feasible way for sunlight to reach the depths of the tunnels, and certainly not into a chamber. Yet, the warm glow shines from behind the glass as if lit by an eternal, unmoving flame. It does not flicker as a candle, and never dims in its strength. We are never allowed a solid answer for this phenomenon and can only speculate as to its source.  
Perhaps we were given a glimpse of the purpose behind this one-of-a-kind window in Remember Love. In a moment of anguish at the dreams and hopes that are swirling in heartbroken symphony inside his head, Vincent momentarily gives way to the painful frustrations and the beautiful window is shattered, revealing what is perceived to the viewer to be an empty, lonely corridor. This was perhaps meant to mirror the emptiness of hope that was troubling Vincent.  
His purpose is unclear to him now, and he feels that all good things are beyond his reach and that somehow, he is to blame for their unattainable nature.  
Once the window shatters, things change and he is visited by an angelic figure who, when he mistakes her for Catherine, states “I am the image of her within you. I am your heart, your mind.” 
The window is now gone. His heart and mind are broken. The symbol of light, of hope, is gone from his room and symbolically from his life.  
The specter makes it clear to him that it is indeed his room….the room that would have been left behind in the tunnels if he had not lived to occupy it. The window is no where to be seen in this ‘world’. After viewing the terrible state of the tunnels without someone good and brave to stop the evil, the figure in his dream says “Knowledge and beauty are fragile things. They need protection.” 
The origins of the window are unknown. We may never know how it got into the tunnels. Is it possible that although the viewer sees the window, it is never actually a tangible object? The breaking of the window symbolized the breaking of his heart and mind. Is it merely a reminder to the viewer that although the gentle giant looked dangerous, he was capable of enjoying beauty and love like anyone else? 
If it was an actual window, the loss of the window appeared to create another entrance to the room, in his dream, in addition to the one they typically used. Perhaps the window, intentionally or unintentionally, was a symbol of ‘that’ side of Vincent (the romantic, gentle, loving side) that he had sealed away, as something he could view and cherish, but never quite attain.  
With the breaking of the window, he lost hope. That thing inside all of us that makes us glow. Hope that makes us dream and reach for stars. The window was lost forever, as his life faded from existence, and never was. 
When he finally awakes, the window has returned, along with his hopes and dreams, and Catherine is there to greet him. His life, a life as fragile and beautiful as the window, is lit again with hope.  
That hope is what keeps the dream alive for all of us, no matter what time and fate tries to throw at us. 
 
Who or what is your ‘stained glass window’?