The Doll’s House
Week of February 11, 2008

Chapter 12:

The Exhibition was a great success. Many people had taken notice of Tottie. Emily and Charlotte had visited several times. Tottie appeared happy. Emily noticed that Tottie didn’t look hurt any more and Charlotte said, “And we never found out why she did. That is the worst of dolls. They are such secret people.”

The girls showed Tottie a piece from the newspaper which said “and the smallest doll is a hundred-year-old farthing doll, lent by Emily and Charlotte Dane.” If anyone had listened, they might have heard Marchpane grinding her china teeth.

Emily and Charlotte looked at Marchpane and admired her very much, especially Emily. She knew Marchpane had belonged to Great-Great-Aunt Laura but did not know she had lived with Tottie in the dolls’ house.

Tottie longed to go home, but the dolls were sorry the Exhibition was over as they would be returned to their packing boxes or sent back to their museums. When Tottie asked what a museum was like, the walking doll suddenly sounded quite unlike herself as she said it was cold there. Marchpane thought that nonsense. She thought it was grand and fine and filled with precious and valuable things kept in glass cases. Tottie stated she wouldn’t like that at all because she would not be played with. “One wouldn’t want to be played with,” said Marchpane.

The wax doll is very sad. She is going back to her box. She longs for the caretaker’s daughter.

The dolls want to hear about Tottie’s house, so that they can think about it when packed away. Tottie had thought it better not to talk about the dolls house in front of Marchpane, but being so excited about going home and feeling so sorry for the other dolls, she forgot to take care and began to tell them all about the house.

After she told them all about the house and the Plantaganet family, Marchpane said “Don’t you believe her? That isn’t her house. It’s mine.” She accused Tottie of stealing the house while she was at the cleaners. Tottie explained that the house came to the Danes, it was cleaned and is now in their nursery. Marchpane declares she shall have the house back. “Wait and see,” said Marchpane. “Wait and see.”

The Exhibit is over. The dolls are gone, the room empty, and the caretaker’s child only saw long blank tables where the dolls had been. Did the caretaker’s child think of the wax doll? And did the wax doll, in her lonely box, think of the caretaker’s child? Did the dolls think of Tottie’s welcome by her family?

DISCUSSION:

Tottie and Marchpane got into it over rightful ownership of the dolls' house. Marchpane declares it is her house. I can just see all the dolls' heads turning (can they do that??) looking back and forth from Marchpane to Tottie as they argue about the dolls' house. Tottie states that the dolls' house was sent to the Danes. It needed cleaning and care, and they took care of it. It is theirs.

I can't help but wonder what Marchpane will do. She threw the threat out there to Tottie when she said, "Wait and see. I shall have that house back." I have been good about not reading ahead and am very curious.

I also wonder about the wax doll. Will she ever be with the little girl? Probably not, but one can hope. I hate to think of her all packed away all alone in her box for who knows how long.

One more thing: All this time, I have been picturing Marchpane as a large doll and wondering how she could even fit in the dolls’ house. I confused the picture of the wax doll, Tottie, and the walking doll, thinking the wax doll was Marchpane. Marchpane was not even on the same table as Tottie. She was on the opposite table with Queen Victoria’s dolls. The wax doll and Marchpane’s dresses and hair are quite similar when looked at briefly. When I went back and took a better look, I could see that the doll standing next to Tottie was definitely not Marchpane. Ann pointed out that in the beginning of the book Marchpane is described as little. I had forgotten that because of my mix-up in the illustrations. Glad that is now resolved and I can put this into better perspective.
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The difference could also be that Tottie is described as forever a 6 year old child and Marchpane is an adult doll. That could explain the size difference and yet still have both dolls living in the same house.

As for the illustrations, maybe the illustrator wasn't paying close enough attention to the book when they were done.
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Well, I'm sure glad Julie and Dawn and Michelle got this mess straightened out while I was away for a few hours! The wax doll and Marchpane have dresses that are quite similar, so that is confusing to the casual reader. However, WE are not supposed to be CASUAL READERS so should have caught these things, which, as a group, I guess we did, so hooray for us!

Did you notice that the only named dolls, Tottie and Marchpane, are played-with dolls? The wax doll and the walking doll (no capital letters for them) are for display and don't have names. If the wax doll ever connects with the little girl who admired her, I'll bet she gets a name right away!

In Chapter 8 the wax doll says "it is children who give us life." Of course, this is a bit contradictory, since the wax doll and the walking doll (ownerless dolls) seem to be alive when they are talking and discussing things. Maybe she means that children name their dolls and love them, and that love gives them the ability to have facial expressions that their owners can see and read (see Chapter 10), and lets them move (Apple is a good example of this) when no person is looking.
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“Did you notice that the only named dolls, Tottie and Marchpane, are played-with dolls?”

And I think this group is proof of that! I know my dolls that I simply costume and sit on a shelf don't have names. Only the dolls I put into scenes get names. And sometimes they take a while to let me know their names. I sometimes feel like I'm the adoptive parent. The names they come with are those the birth parents gave them but by the time they are old enough to go into scenes they need new names. At least I don't have to go to court to re-name them.
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I hadn't noticed that! But it is a real writer's rule--if you name something, it has to have a significant contribution to the book. This is called the gun rule, too. It stems back from playwriting--if there is a gun on the table in act one, it better be used to shoot someone by act three. In other words, the audience (or reader) will assume something is important and be looking for it.
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Maybe Marchpane is a wisher like Tottie. She keeps saying “Wait and see.” She is willing something to happen!!