In his works Goethe not only creates symbols. He also creates heroes who create their own symbols. The »Lehrjahre« is a case in point. Here the protagonist invents the world, both consciously and unconsciously, as a system of signs enabling him to empower himself of the outer world as a product of his inner world. This is illustrated by a semiotic analysis of the symbolism of the veil. This symbolic ploy represents a consistent reflection of the crisis-ridden formation of identity in the initially narcissistic hero, Wilhem Meister, and traces the way it evolves through the subsequent stages of his career. At the same time, it also pinpoints the interplay between ethos and eros.