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How surprised was Nathaniel when, proceeding to his lodging, he saw that the whole house was burned down, and that only the bare walls stood up amid the ashes… fire had broken out in the laboratory of the apothecary who lived on the ground-floor, and had therefore consumed the house from top to bottom...

The narrator describes the state of Nathaniel’s home when he returns to university after his trip to his mother’s house where he nearly duels with Lothaire after arguing with Clara. The fire in Nathaniel’s student lodgings echoes the mysterious fiery explosion that killed his father. The chemist who started the fire symbolizes science and also harkens back to the death of Nathaniel’s father as he and Coppelius were carrying out some kind of mysterious experiment when it occurred. The fact that Nathaniel’s apartment burned down while he was away and all of his things were moved to a room across from Olympia’s window suggests that forces like fate that Nathaniel cannot control are indeed pushing him into harm’s way.

The high steeple of the town hall was already casting its gigantic shadow over the market-place…Nathaniel and Clara both ascended the steps…the two lovers stood arm-in-arm on the highest gallery of the tower, and looked down upon the misty forests, behind which the blue mountains rose like a gigantic city.

This scene in the town hall’s high tower is where everything in the story comes to a climax, with Coppelius appearing in the crowd to foreshadow that a transformative moment in Nathaniel’s life is about to happen. The tower’s looming presence over the city signifies the crucial role it will play, casting a shadow over the marketplace and everyone in it, including Nathaniel, Clara, and their companions. The tower allows them to be high above the mists of the forests, suggesting that Nathaniel is trying to rise above his old obsessions and see things more clearly. The sublime view stands in stark contrast to the next few seconds of the story.

Many years afterward it was said that Clara was seen in a remote spot, sitting hand in hand with a kind-looking man before the door of a country house, while two lively boys played before her.

In the final lines of the story, Clara enjoys a fine day in a comfortable, country home with what appears to be a happy, healthy family surrounding her. She lives the life she envisioned with Nathaniel. Everything about this scene, including the peaceful house and the kind husband, is the opposite of the life Nathaniel gave Clara. The serenity contrasts the violence and chaos of the struggle in the tower, which immediately precedes this scene. Clara has chosen to live a simple life far from the city, which is where Nathaniel found himself consumed by fears and nightmares. In a bittersweet way, the story ends with a happily ever after, one that could have been Nathaniel’s had his obsessions not taken him in another direction.

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