When George sends his first letter, he is entirely unknown to Esther. The letter is mysterious, representing interest and attention from a man for the first time in her life, but the letter is inaccessible to Esther because she cannot read. For Esther, who feels unattractive, the letters are a safe form of intimacy. She can imagine that George is whoever she wants without worrying that he will be disappointed when he sees her. Esther’s letters also create an idea of her that is who she wants to be, infused with both the beauty and sensuality of Mayme and the refined attractive elegance of Mrs. Van Buren. Esther’s letters are an embellishment, particularly in the sense that she does not consider herself to be as eloquent as her ghost writers, but she becomes enamored with the man who is writing her.

Although he is a continent away, George is somehow more accessible to Esther than Mr. Marks. But as Esther eventually discovers, George isn’t real—or at least the George she romanticizes isn’t real. Before he travels to New York, Mayme teases Esther and tells her that George is imaginary. Esther says that he is only paper, light enough to carry in her pocket.