New Hampshire · Chapter
The Kitchen Chimney explained
The speaker instructs the builder on constructing a kitchen chimney, insisting it must be built from the ground up rather than on a shelf, citing practical concerns about fire safety, structural integrity, and the ominous signs of a false c
What happens
The speaker instructs the builder on constructing a kitchen chimney, insisting it must be built from the ground up rather than on a shelf, citing practical concerns about fire safety, structural integrity, and the ominous signs of a false chimney, while contrasting the functional purpose of a shelf with the impracticality of a chimney that evokes airy castles.
Themes in this chapter
Work and Labor
The poem focuses on the labor of building a chimney, emphasizing the importance of doing the work correctly from the ground up.
Perception and Truth
The speaker contrasts the false appearance of a shelf chimney with the true, grounded construction, warning against deceptive signs like tar stains and smoke smell.
Characters to notice
- Mother
The speaker addresses the builder, but the voice is reminiscent of a domestic authority, possibly a mother figure, insisting on proper construction.
Key passages
“Don’t build me a chimney upon a shelf.”
Do not construct a chimney that is supported by a shelf rather than the ground.
The speaker insists on a chimney built from the foundation, rejecting any superficial or elevated placement.
“But I never heard of a house that throve (And I know of one that didn’t thrive) Where the chimney started above the stove.”
I have never known a house to prosper where the chimney begins above the stove, and I can name one that failed.
The speaker argues from experience that a chimney starting above the stove is a sign of poor fortune or structural failure.
“A shelf’s for a clock or vase or picture, But I don’t see why it should have to bear A chimney that only would serve to remind me Of castles I used to build in air.”
A shelf is meant for decorative items, not to support a chimney that would merely remind me of my youthful, impractical dreams.
The speaker distinguishes between the proper use of a shelf and the folly of using it to support a chimney, which symbolizes unrealistic aspirations.