# LIII explained — Memoirs of a Midget

> Chapter companion for Memoirs of a Midget by Walter de la Mare.

## What happens

The narrator and Mr. Anon flee the circus in a cart after his fall. As they travel through the night, Mr. Anon's injury proves mortal. The narrator struggles to keep awake and aware, but eventually falls asleep. Upon waking at dawn, they have stopped by a cottage. The narrator finds Mr. Anon dead, and is met with horror and suspicion by an old woman who emerges from the cottage.

## Themes in this chapter

### Mortality and Memory

Mr. Anon's death and the narrator's vigil explore the fragility of life and the haunting memory of loss.

### Solitude and Self-Discovery

The narrator faces an unprecedented solitude after Mr. Anon's death, confronting fear and a new sense of self.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown (Narrator)

The narrator drives the cart, tends to Mr. Anon, and experiences horror and exhaustion as he dies.

### Mr. Anon

Mr. Anon is mortally injured from a fall at the circus; he speaks his love before dying in the cart.

## Key lines

> Only that I love you.

He says his love is the only thing that matters.

_Mr. Anon's final declaration of love to the narrator._

> Oh, but you haven't said a single word to me!

The narrator reproaches Mr. Anon for his silence in death.

_The narrator's anguished realization that Mr. Anon is gone._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/liii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters