Secrets

“The noise, deep and guttural, that his aunt was making became intolerable to him. It was as if she were drowning. She had lost all the dignity he knew her to have.”

This quote demonstrates the somber mood of the story; Great Aunt Mary’s passing is described realistically, with the physical suffering she is experiencing undercutting her characteristic pride and composure. In retrospect, it’s clear that the protagonist’s childhood memories inform his experience of this moment. He wants to preserve his memory of his aunt’s “dignity,” in part because it is all he had after losing his early closeness to her.

“He was trembling with anger or sorrow, he didn’t know which. He sat in the brightness of her big sitting-room at the oval table and waited for something to happen.”

The mixture of emotions foreshadows the similarly-confused emotions that John/Brother Benignus describes in his letters. Both men feel anger and sorrow simultaneously when confronted with the brutal reality of death.

“She wore no jewelry except a cameo ring on her third finger of her right hand and, around her neck, a gold locket on a chain. The white classical profile on the ring was almost worn through and had become translucent and indistinct. The boy had noticed the ring when she had read to him as a child.”

This description of Great Aunt Mary’s prized possessions introduces the theme of Secrets, Trauma, and the Limits of Emotional Intimacy. Although the ring itself does not seem to have particularly deep significance to Mary, she gently chides the protagonist for his childhood curiosity about it, establishing her reserve. The “indistinct” cameo ring prefigures the “misty” photograph of Mary as a young woman and suggests the mysteriousness of her past.

“He would try to count back to see how old [the cameo ring] was. Had her grandmother got it from her grandmother? And if so what had she turned it into? She would nod her head from side to side and say, ‘How would I know a thing like that?’ keeping her place in the closed book with her finger.”

The protagonist wants to learn more about his family’s history, and Aunt Mary satisfies his curiosity partially, only to suggest that she cannot answer all his questions about the ring. The phrase “closed book” underscores how she metaphorically keeps her secrets shut away.

“‘Don’t be so inquisitive,’ she’d say. ‘Let’s see what happens next in the story.’”

Mary’s reluctance to answer the protagonist’s questions develops the theme of curiosity, which she encourages, but only as it regards fiction. This quote also provides meta commentary on “Secrets,” encouraging readers to “see what happens next.”

“There was a harsh metal shearing sound as she pulled the desk flap down. The writing area was covered with green leather which had dog-eared at the corners. The inner part was divided into pigeon holes, all bulging with papers.”

The “harsh metal shearing sound” as Aunt Mary opens the desk represents her reluctance to open up about her history. Meanwhile, the “bulging” papers suggest how much of that history exists.

“‘Who is Brother Benignus?’ he asked. She seemed not to hear. He asked again and she looked over her glasses.”

The protagonist’s first audible inquiry into the mysterious Brother Benignus is not well received by his Aunt Mary. Her reserved nature is clear in her reluctance to open up to him, which foreshadows her angry response after he invades her privacy.

“‘Who is that?’ he asked.

‘Why? What do you think of her?’

‘She’s all right.’

‘Do you think she is beautiful?’

The boy nodded.”

This exchange between the protagonist and Aunt Mary underscores her elusive nature and reluctance to address her past; she speaks in questions, even though the protagonist is the one seeking information. However, she does want validation of her past beauty, and she still has fond memories of her youth.

“‘Was your friend killed in the war?’

At first she said no, but then she changed her mind. ‘Perhaps he was,’ she said, then smiled.”

Aunt Mary’s cryptic answer illustrates how she feels about the ending of her relationship with John/Brother Benignus. Even though she continues to correspond with John/Brother Benignus, Aunt Mary no longer has the same relationship with him. World War I forever changed his identity from a soldier to a religious devotee.

“Mary I love you as much as ever—more so that we cannot be together. I do not know which is worse, the hurt of this war or being separated from you.”

This second letter from John ties into the theme of Love in the Face of Death because it shows his vulnerability as a soldier. Knowing how precarious his life is, he is comfortable sharing his intimate thoughts and emotions.

“Everything is frozen. The ground is like steel. Forgive me for telling you this but I feel I have to say it to someone. The worst thing is the dead. They sit or lie frozen in the position they died.”

John’s descriptions of the horrors of war suggest death’s omnipresence; it is “frozen” into his surroundings. The word “frozen” also applies to the lives of both the soldiers and Aunt Mary. They cannot resume their everyday existence or build relationships because of the war’s interruption.

“Today a man died beside me. A piece of shrapnel had pierced his neck as we were moving under fire. I pulled him into a crater and stayed with him until he died. I watched him choke and then drown in his blood. I am full of anger which has no direction.”

This penultimate letter from the soldier attempts to convey the horrors of warfare. The trauma that the soldier experiences is passed to others, like Aunt Mary and her family. MacLaverty’s word choice underscores this, as “drowning” is the image the protagonist calls to mind when witnessing Mary’s death; the two deaths are thematically linked by Guilt and the Desire for Forgiveness.

“‘You are dirt,’ she hissed, ‘and always will be dirt. I shall remember this till the day I die.’”

This quote from Aunt Mary underscores the anger she feels after catching the protagonist invading her privacy. The protagonist harbors guilt from this incident until the day Aunt Mary dies.