The Measure

In The Measure, Nikki Erlick uses Greek mythology in a variety of ways to deepen the meaning of the text. As people debate the mysterious origin of the boxes, the novel immediately draws parallels to Greek mythology: “‘Then maybe it’s God.’ The man shrugged. ‘Or multiple gods. The ancient Greeks believed in the Fates, right?’” (18) This connection continues throughout the novel—public interest in Greek literature and mythology increases after the arrival of the boxes:

She […] slipped past the table of popular titles up front, where The Iliad and The Odyssey had both taken up residence in recent weeks, thanks to renewed interest in Greek mythology and the Fates, alongside a cluster of self-help books and meditations on mortality by doctors, philosophers, and theologians (54).

With this direct reference, Erlick draws the reader’s attention to the ways that concepts from Greek mythology are layered throughout the narrative.

Most notably, the strings themselves recall the story of the Fates, or the Morai, as they were known in ancient Greece. The Morai are responsible for determining an individual’s fate, or destiny, which takes the form of a thread. According to mythology, there were three Fates: Clotho, the spinner of the thread, Lachesis, the allotter, who measures it, and Atropos, the unturning, who is responsible for cutting the thread, and thus ending the individual’s life.