Mrs. Midas Flashcards
Line 1 - It was late September. I’d just poured a glass of wine, begun
Line 2 - to unwind
‘I’d just poured a glass of wine’ is a reference to the original myth, Dionysus is he god who granted the wish and he was the god of wine,
‘begun to unwind’ - sets a relaxing, calm atmosphere, big contrast to what is coming up.
Line 3 - filled with the smell of itself, relaxed, its steamy breath
‘filled with the smell of itself, relaxed’ the personification of the kitchen emphasises the calm, home environment.
‘steamy breath’ also does the same
Line 9 - but that twig in his hand was gold. And then he plucked
‘was gold’ - first mention of gold, things get worse from here. Placement at end of sentence emphasises importance
Line 11 - and it sat in his palm, like a lightbulb. On.
Just as a lightbulb is bright and shiny, so too the pear was now gold and shiny, as he had touched it
Line 12 - I thought to myself, is he putting fairy lights in the tree?
This line shows her sheer confusion at this moment. The question mark at the end of the sentence emphasises this.
Line 15 - the Field of the Cloth of Gold and of Miss Macready
‘Field of the Cloth of Gold’ this is an anachronism, emphasising how much gold there is.
Line 16 - He sat in that chair like a king on a burnished throne
Just as a throne is shiny and magical, so too the chair immediately turned into gold as he sat on it. It is an allusion to the real myth of King Midas.
Line 17 - The look on his face was strange, wild, vain. I said,
‘strange, wild, vain’ the list emphasises the sheer number of emotions he is experiencing at this point.
Line 18 - What in the name of God is going on? He started to laugh.
‘in the name of God’ is an allusion to the original myth, as the the original wish was granted by a God.
‘He started to laugh’ short sentence brings attention to the fact that realise the severity of what he’s done, he still thinks it’s a joke.
Line 20 - Within seconds he was spitting out the teeth of the rich
He believes he is going to be rich and is still feeling very lucky, hasn’t started to see downside yet. Rich has conn. of wealthy and expensive, showing that he had tried to eat food, but it had turned gold, showing the struggles he is going to face.
Line 21 - He toyed with his spoon, then mine, then with the knives, the forks.
List shows sheer amount of things he was touching, showing his excitement at the moment.
Line 22 - He asked where the wine was. I poured with a shaking hand
‘poured with a shaking hand’ shows his wife is getting scared of him and the situation.
Line 25 - It was then I started to scream. He sank to his knees
‘started to scream’ alliteration emphasises her fear.
‘He sank to his knees’ shows he has started to realise the consequences of his actions and the impact they’ll have. Word choice of sank.
Line 26 - After we’d both calmed down, I finished the wine
Line 27 - on my own
‘I finished the wine on my own’ shows his actions have already started to separate the couple.
Lines 27-30 - I made him sit on the other side of the room and keep his hands to himself. I locked the cat in the cellar. I moved the phone.
List emphasises the sheer amount of things she is doing to isolate herself from him, showing her fear. However, it is also a tranquil explanation of a chaotic event.
Line 32 - But who has wishes granted? Him. Do you know about gold?
Line 33 - It feeds no one
‘Do you know about gold? It feeds no one’ She answers her own question, involves the reader and creates an audience in the poem. Dramatic monologue. She has started to get annoyed at her husband and the sheer selfishness of his actions.
Lines 35-36 - At least, I said you’ll be able to give up smoking for good.
Example of humour, shows her calmness in the very chaotic situation.
Line 37 - Separate beds. In fact, I put a chair up against my door,
‘Separate beds.’ Minor sentence brings attention to the fact that the couples had moved apart.
Line 38-39 - turning the spare room into the tomb of Tutankhamun
Just as Tutankhamun was a pharoe who was very rich and was buried with gold so too he had turned the room fully into gold.
Line 43-44 - And who, when it comes to the crunch, can live with a heart of gold?
This shows that they’re relationship is inevitably going to come to an end, showing the negative consequences of his actions.
Line 49 - So we had to move out. We’d a caravan
‘So we had to move out’ - signifies the end of their relationships. Short, blunt sentence emphasises this.
Line 50 - I drove him up
Line 51 - under the cover of dark. He sat in the back
‘I drove him up under the cover of dark’ Shows she is hiding him because she is embarrassed of him. ‘cover of dark’ conn. of concealment and low visibility.
‘He sat in the back’ short sentence draws attention to how much they are distancing themselves from each other.
Line 52-53 - the woman who married tho fool who wished for gold
She feels defined by her husband’s selfish actions. She has lost her identity.
Line 53-54 - At first, I visited, odd times, parking the car a good way off
She is still very afraid of her husband and what he could do
Line 55 - You knew you were getting close. Golden trout
Everything he tries to eats still turns to gold, he is struggling.
Line 61-62 - What gets me now is not the idiocy or greed but the lack of thought for me. Pure selfishness.
She has finally started to get annoyed at him for completely ruining their relationship.
‘Pure selfishness’ minor sentence emphasises her frustration at him.
Line 64 - I think of him in certain lights, dawn, late afternoon
The light at these times is gold, showing how much she misses him.
Line 65 - and once a bowl of apples stopped me dead.
He had turned the apples gold, showing the smallest things can bring it all back for her. Reader feels sympathy for her.
Line 65-66 - I miss most, even now, his hands, his warm hands on my skin his touch.
List emphasises just how much she misses him. ‘Touch’ is a reference to the Midas touch. She is also thinking of him in the situation, showing how unselfish she is.
THEMES
The theme of isolation is prevalent. The consequences of a lover’s stupid decision and the consequences the decision can have. Isolation links to War photographer. Being hurt by a lover links to Valentine and the realities of love and being in a relationship.
