This conflict arises from the contrast between the opposing forces of light and darkness, good and evil, angel and devil. While the devil represents words, it is the pen mentioned by Crane that symbolizes a proverbial angel on the writer's shoulder. The pen demonstrates a kind of angelic benevolence in that it "could crush [the devils]", but instead allows them to run free. However, this is not to say that there is no conflict between opposing forces such as some of the devilish words, “wrestled in the ink,” produced by the holy pen. This nonviolent battle between the words and the writer's pen is symbolic of the mental turmoil a writer must sift through to filter their deepest thoughts and prevent them from influencing their writing. Crane accurately describes the mental struggle produced by the act of writing as an author will inevitably integrate into his writing, however, he will also attempt to dilute his inner thoughts from boiling over in his literary activity.