"To morrow, I believe, is to be an eclipse of the sun, and I think it perfectly meet and proper that the sun in the heavens, and the glory of the Republic should both go into obscurity and darkness together"

This quote by Benjamin F. Wade is a metaphor for the state of the Republic throughout his time. The eclipse of the sun is a sign for the darkness and obscurity that the Republic is facing. The sun in the paradises is a metaphor for the magnificence of the Republic, and the eclipse signifies the approaching darkness and obscurity that the Republic is facing. Wade is suggesting that the Republic remains in a state of decrease which it is just fitting that the sun and the magnificence of the Republic ought to both enter into obscurity and darkness together. He is indicating that the Republic is in a state of decrease and that it is only fitting that the Republic needs to suffer the same fate as the sun. This quote is a tip of the fragility of the Republic and the significance of protecting it from decline.