# XVII: Of the Sigil and One Use of It explained — The Cream of the Jest

> Chapter companion for The Cream of the Jest by James Branch Cabell.

## What happens

Kennaston discovers that touching Ettarre in his dreams causes them to end abruptly. He learns more about the sigil's history, seeing it whole in ancient Alexandria. To prolong his dreams, he devises a method using a candle and the sigil's reflection, allowing him to escape into the dream world for eight hours each night.

## Themes in this chapter

### Dream vs. Reality

Kennaston's divided life between waking reality and his dream world, using the sigil to escape into an idealized existence.

### The Search for Meaning

Kennaston's quest to understand the sigil's origins and his growing preference for the dream world over mundane life.

## Character check-ins

### Felix Kennaston

Discovers the sigil's power and learns to prolong his dreams of Ettarre by using a candle's reflection.

### La Beale Ettarre

The object of Kennaston's dreams; touching her causes the dream to end.

## Key lines

> It proved that this was indeed a part of the sigil’s wonder-working: Kennaston learned by experience that whenever, even by accident, he was about to touch Ettarre his dream would end like a burst bubble.

Kennaston discovered that the sigil's magic caused his dream to vanish instantly if he came close to touching Ettarre.

_The sigil's power imposes a boundary between Kennaston and Ettarre in the dream._

> So began an odd divided life for Felix Kennaston.

Felix Kennaston started living a strange split existence between reality and dreams.

_Kennaston's dual life becomes a central theme._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cream_of_the_jest_se/chapters/xvii-of-the-sigil-and-one-use-of-it
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cream_of_the_jest_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cream_of_the_jest_se/chapters