Songs of a Sourdough · Chapter
My Madonna explained
The speaker transforms a woman he brought in from the street into a painting of the Madonna, hiding her past and selling the work to a church, where it is revered as a holy image.
What happens
The speaker transforms a woman he brought in from the street into a painting of the Madonna, hiding her past and selling the work to a church, where it is revered as a holy image.
Key passages
“I haled me a woman from the street, Shameless, but, oh, so fair!”
I brought a woman off the street, who was brazen yet beautiful.
The speaker introduces the woman as a fallen figure, emphasizing her beauty despite her shame.
“I painted her as she might have been If the Worst had been the Best.”
I depicted her as she could have been if her worst qualities were actually her best.
The speaker idealizes the woman, transforming her into a pure, maternal figure.
“She hangs in the church of Saint Hilaire, Where you and all may see.”
The painting now hangs in Saint Hilaire's church, on display for everyone.
The artwork is now publicly venerated, completing the transformation from street woman to sacred icon.