Is my reading greatly enhanced by this knowledge? Perhaps not greatly. Something subtle happens there, but no thunder and lightning. The meaning doesn’t move in the opposite direction or shift radically; if it did, that would be self-defeating, since so many readers would not get the allusion. I think it’s more that the ending picks up a little greater weight from the association with Isaiah, a greater impact, pathos even.
From this I understand that these little references and allusions don’t necessarily shift or make a story what it is but rather develops and deepens the story. It gives it greater character, clarity, and more of a lasting impact on the reader. It sticks—the mention of an outside source familiar to the reader, so they take a moment to marvel the fact.
