Cousin Vit is an independent woman who refuses to be confined by her coffin or restrictive societal expectations. She lives a boisterous, authentically happy life marked by dancing the snake-hips and drinking wine across her shantung dress. Her irrepressible vitality allows her to symbolically reject her own burial and return to the vivid experiences of her past.

Personified through the funeral rites and casket, Death acts as the initial controlling force over the protagonist. It expects to easily subdue and permanently hold its subjects in passive silence. The entity relies on bolts and satin to enforce its will, but it completely lacks the power to handle a spirit as energetic as Cousin Vit.

The unnamed narrator acts as an energetic tour guide to Cousin Vit's legacy. Displaying deep kinship and admiration, the speaker catalogs Vit's exploits in love-rooms and public parks. Rather than mourning in solemnity, she enthusiastically celebrates Vit's dynamic existence and validates her wild happiness.