The image, in which the light is seen to emanate from the Great Isabel itself, enhances the unified symbol of island, silver and lighthouse. The Great Isabel is the individual, isolated in the "gulf" of subjectivity (and here shown to be "black" in the eyes of cynicism), broadcasting through the societal artifice of the lighthouse the communication of its true nature, which nevertheless goes unseen, because the silver is now hidden from all living knowledge. The whole is situated in the darkness and "under the canopy of clouds," signifying the world of blind subjectivity and illusory idealism, and it seems unlikely that the treasure of man's true worth will ever be found. But we may recall Nostromo's words upon its burial: "Time is on its side, señor. And silver is an incorruptible metal that can be trusted to keep its value for ever."