"Caps and Lower Case"

“Caps and Lower Case”
Just a quick thought. Santos has the consumption. … No, no, crazy, there’s more! Maybe Santos’ Tuberculosis is a physical manifestation of the manner in which his work is eroding his life. He coughs blood. He labors his life away. He is withering.
On another note, i thought that the beginning and ending of the story were of symbolic significance. The image presented at the onset of the story is that of Santos climbing stairs. The story ends with Santos beginning “the long climb down the stairs” (476). i just thought it was fitting that he is climbing up stairs at the beginning—when there is hope for advancement and progress, when there is hope period—and he is descending back down the stairs by the story’s end, back to where he started—implying anti-progress and failure.