Mr and Mrs Martins Short Text Theme
An idea that was worth learning about in The Silk by Joy Cowley was eternal love. The writer showed us this idea through Mr and Mrs Blackie’s traits and the symbolism of the silk and bridge. While an idea worth learning about in Mr and Mrs Martins by Edla van Steen is how the couple face death. The writer shows us this idea through Mr Martins character and the symbolism of the incomplete gravestone. Eternal love is an idea worth learning about as it shows us their love for each other. The writer shows us this by Mr and Mrs Blackie’s relationship.
As “days and nights” pass, Mr Blackie is falling more ill as he settles “into bed as gently as dust”, showing his physical weakness. Mrs Blackie is aware of this so her caring trait helps try to make him as comfortable as possible with pillows or how she filled the hot water bottle to keep him warm. Then she decides to create his laying out pyjamas as a last gift and memory with him. She shows her love for him by how he is going to do “every stitch… by hand”. Mr Blackie also shows his love as he wants to spend their last moments together so he asks her to “do it in here” (making the pyjamas in their bedroom).
From this we feel hopeful that in the near future we will find a special someone that cares for you and vice versa. As I have known some peers that only has one person giving in to the relationship. The idea of eternal love is also shown by the symbolism of the blue silk from China and its bridge image on it. The couple have been together for fifty-odd years and are still very much in love as they both want to spend their last moments together. The silk is used as a symbol to represent their marriage, love and bond they have in the present time.
But Mrs Blackie is unsure of what their love will become after Mr Blackie passes. After she decides to create the silk pyjamas, they have to cut it and “together they feel the pain as the blades met cleanly” as they realised that the silk and their relationship will “never again be the same”. After Mr Blackie dies Mrs Blackie griefs over the fact that “he didn’t say goodbye” . Then she sees the man on the bridge “waving. Or perhaps beckoning to her” and realises that he did say goodbye and that the link or bond is still there.
She comes to realise that their love can transcend death and become eternal love. This makes the reader feel envious of their life long relationship as many relationships in the present day aren’t lasting very long. Also how they have a mutual understanding where no words are needed because they such a tight and special bond between them. Facing death is an idea worth learning about as different people deal with death differently. The writer shows us this idea through Mr Martin’s decision to keep on living separately due to Mr and Mrs Martins traits.
Mr Martin has the dominant trait while Mrs Martin is submissive, which allows Mr Martin to make the decision while Mrs Martins just allows him even she does not want to. He made this decision due to the love he has for his wife and he believes that most men die first, so he wants her to “prepare for living alone” without him. We see that Mrs Martins is being the peacemaker as she doesn’t want to live separately but respects his wishes and chooses not to argue as she will “wait for another opportunity” to tell him.
From this we feel very frustrated that Mr Martin is ignoring what his own wife wants as most people should spend their last moments together happily, not alone and all depressed. Yet we also get the reason for Mr Martins decision as it can be painful when all of a suddenly your loved one dies and your all alone. This helps Mrs Martins through as she learns to depend on herself as some widows nowadays struggle to live alone. Another reason why facing death is an idea worth learning about as not only do they live separately they have also made a gravestone for themselves already.
The writer uses this gravestone as a symbolism to represent how the incomplete dates show anticipation towards death and also their union of marriage in life and death. It represents the decision and unspoken pact that the couple have made. The symbolism is shown consistenly through the story with words like “slab”, “tomb” and “her sepluchre”. It also shows how they believe that this is the end for them, there is nothing after death. From this we feel confused at how they can make a gravestone for themselves even though they are both very healthy and alive.
But we feel sad at the fact that they have no children, so no one will be visiting them. It makes the reader think of what we as children need to do for our parents in the far away future. Eternal love and facing death are both ideas worth learning about as we get to learn about lifelong love with that special person or the hardships when dealing with death. The writers shows us these ideas are worth learning about through the main character’s traits and symbolism of silk, bridge and gravestone.
