At the very beginning of the drama, a desperate and daring Faust conjures up the Earth Spirit, but he recoils under the impact of his haunting vision: “Schreckliches Gesicht! […] Weh! ich ertrag dich nicht” (Appalling vision! Woe, I cannot bear your sight). Ironized as an “Übermensch” (superman) and derided as “Ein furchtsam weggekrümmter Wurm” (A fear-filled cringing worm), Faust is dismissed by the vanishing spirit with the verdict: “Du gleichst dem Geist, den du begreifst, / Nicht mir!” (490, 498, 512–13; You resemble the spirit that you comprehend / Not me). As Faust realizes, subjective yearnings and visions, however powerful, do not suffice to grasp or to hold on to the desired object:

The relationship between subject and object has changed completely, reflecting the protagonist's transformed capabilities, when we learn about the results of Faust's subsequent encounters with the Earth Spirit. An amazing expansion and reversal has occurred that is also reflected by the environment in which the protagonist finds himself.