Poetry · Chapter
Aunt Helen explained
The poem recounts the death of Aunt Helen, a maiden aunt who lived quietly with four servants.
What happens
The poem recounts the death of Aunt Helen, a maiden aunt who lived quietly with four servants. After her death, a strange silence falls over heaven and her street. The undertaker, familiar with death, goes about his work. While the dogs are well provided for, the parrot soon dies too. The Dresden clock ticks on, and the footman sits on the dining table with the second housemaid on his knees—a liberty she never took while her mistress was alive.
Themes in this chapter
Time and Mortality
The death of Aunt Helen and the subsequent silence, the undertaker's routine, and the parrot's death all underscore the inevitability of mortality and the passage of time.
Fragmentation and Modernity
The poem juxtaposes the formal, orderly world of the deceased aunt with the casual, almost irreverent behavior of the servants after her death, highlighting a fragmented social order.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator recounts the death of his maiden aunt, Aunt Helen, and the aftermath in her household.
Key passages
“Now when she died there was silence in heaven And silence at her end of the street.”
At the moment of her death, an unusual quiet descended both in heaven and on her street.
The silence emphasizes the significance and finality of her passing.
“The dogs were handsomely provided for, But shortly afterwards the parrot died too.”
The dogs were left well cared for in her will, but the parrot died soon after she did.
The parrot's death suggests a deeper connection to the aunt or the disruption of the household's order.
“And the footman sat upon the dining-table Holding the second housemaid on his knees— Who had always been so careful while her mistress lived.”
The footman sat on the dining table with the second housemaid on his lap—something she would never have dared do while her mistress was alive.
The servants' behavior after the aunt's death reveals the strict discipline that had been maintained during her life.