The narrator of the poem experiences a sudden physical encounter with another individual. Unaccustomed to intimacy or romantic connection, they feel entirely out of their depth. They compare their overwhelming emotional confusion to an individual unable to read a newly received letter.

The unidentified person to whom the speaker directs their thoughts. This individual possesses a specific "goodness" that triggers a profound emotional reaction in the speaker. They act as the potential translator for the speaker's emotional state, holding the power to clarify the dynamic between them.

A hypothetical figure created in an extended simile by the speaker. He has a reading disability and has never received mail before. He holds onto an unopened envelope with a mix of fear and pride, anticipating potentially life-altering news but hesitating to ask someone to read it to him.

A hypothetical relative of the illiterate man. He represents a potential source of unexpected wealth, capable of leaving a farm to his nephew and permanently altering the man's social standing.

The hypothetical parents of the illiterate man. Their imagined death within the unread letter represents a profound loss and a severing of ties to the past.

A hypothetical woman in the illiterate man's life. She represents a shift in romantic fortune, offering the possibility of becoming a beloved partner after a period of indifference or complication.