A "speechless rapture" is a reference to what he felt in his enchantment when thinking about the river. In Christianity, the Rapture is often used to describe a time of great suffering where sinners will experience wailing and breaking of teeth. The author highlights the fact that at any given time, some humans suffer while others see the beauty that the entire universe can see. The Rapture in Christianity is also when people who believe in the higher power of God are erased from the earth while others continue to suffer on this planet. The author then reveals that appreciation for the beauty of the river ceased during his work on the steamboats. He no longer saw the glories and charms that the moon, the sun and the twilight made shine on the face of the river. The personification of the river creates a very intense yet simple image of the river. Twain then notes that his lack of understanding had no real basis to begin with and that he should have been more critical of the river from the start. The sun was destined to evaporate the waters of the river, creating wind, the floating log clearly implied that the water level of the river was rising and a tilted mark was an indication of a misleading threat which posed danger to a pilot steamboat like him. The fall