# LV explained — Memoirs of a Midget

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

## What happens

The narrator pauses to reflect on the past, contemplating the madness and intensity of a previous year, and considers the lasting effects of that experience. She acknowledges her own smallness and insignificance, but resolves to avoid being pygmy-minded or pygmy-spirited. She finds comfort in the pursuit of truth, even if unattainable, and fears the ease and seclusion of her current life. The chapter ends with a plea to be remembered seriously and equally by a friend.

## Themes in this chapter

### Solitude and Self-Discovery

The narrator lives in peaceful, lonely seclusion at Stonecote, reflecting on her past and her own growth, fearing the ease of her quiet life.

### Performance and Being on Show

The narrator acknowledges that her tale itself is a form of being on show again, as Mrs. Monnerie had observed.

### Mortality and Memory

The narrator looks back across intervening years, contemplates the passage of time, and hopes to be remembered by a friend.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown (Narrator)

Reflects on her past self, her mental state, and the lessons learned from a tumultuous year.

### Mrs. Monnerie

Quoted as having said that the narrator's tale is 'once more to have drifted into being on show again—in a book.'

## Key lines

> What, indeed, was her insane mind seeking: what assurance, reconciliation? I know not, but there she herself was found, nails worn to the quick, feet shoeless, a hunted anatomy.

The narrator wonders what her younger, frantic self was searching for, and describes her as physically worn and desperate.

_Reflects the narrator's retrospective view of her past mental state._

> We cannot see ourselves as others see us, but that is no excuse for not wearing spectacles; and even up here, in my peaceful lonely old Stonecote, I must beware of a mind swept and garnished.

Though we cannot fully know how others perceive us, we should still strive for self-awareness; even in her quiet retreat, she must guard against complacency.

_Highlights the narrator's commitment to honest self-examination._

## Links

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