The Dolls’ House
Week of April 21, 2008

Chapters 22-23:

The beautiful but evil Marchpane is now enjoying her days under a glass dome in a museum which she shares with a china King Charles spaniel. She is dusted twice a week and people come to look at her. Sometimes they work on drawings and Marchpane is certain they are drawing her. She grows more conceited every day.
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Life in the dolls’ house is returning to some type of normalcy. Mr. Plantaganet has returned to work at the post office. Emily and Charlotte are happily taking care of their little family. Mr. Plantaganet is thinking of how things come and things pass, “even for small things like us, even for dolls.” Good things have come back now for the little household. Tottie says they must be happy, but Mr. Plantaganet is uncertain without their beloved Birdie. Tottie says that Birdie would be happy. She couldn’t help it. Birdie’s bright tinkling music went on in the house. Her hat still hung in the hall, and on her feather broom, and on her bird and on her parasol, the colors were very bright.

DISCUSSION:

The book has come to its conclusion. The beautiful but evil Marchpane is now ensconced under a glass dome in a museum, being admired by all who see her. Being the insufferable doll she is she must like this better than being in the dolls’ house. She has countless admirers coming to the museum every day and they get to look at her but not touch her. Sad to say she has suffered no punishment at all for her behavior in the dolls' house. Maybe the author is making a point that sometimes in life things go unpunished? However, I believe it always catches up with one somewhere along the line.

In the dolls' house, the little family is getting on with life, although it is difficult at times. Mr. Plantaganet has been thinking of how things come and things pass, "even for small things like us, even for dolls." He is very lonely without Birdie. He even looks sad in his picture. But life goes on and Tottie says they must be happy and that Birdie would be happy. I still don't like it that she is gone.
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I know--I firmly believe evil should be punished. Being in a glass dome would be a living nightmare for most dolls, but Marchpane obviously enjoys it. What a shame! I think she should have gotten chewed by a mouse.
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I think Marchpane is right where her heart desires, "protected" from the hands of children, and on a pedestal to be admired. My hope is the museum closes that portion of their display and donates her to the Salvation Army...hehehe. Can't you just see her self-centered little china head amongst the worn teddy bears and Raggedy Ann's!! Oh my, maybe I have a tad of the 'Marchpane meanies' in me???
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Boy, her china teeth would really be clicking away if she ended up in the Salvation Army amongst the worn out items!!
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No! Put her in a cardboard box in a cellar!
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I know she is where she wanted to be, but I can't help but pity her; and there is something in her pitiable predicament that hints at punishment to me. Her punishment is to never be real! How can you be real under a glass dome?
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I'm not sure Marchpane suffered no punishment; she sadly has no way of knowing the joys that might have been hers if she had been an affectionate and kind doll. Locked away under the dome she may be admired by all but loved by none. Perhaps in our imagination we can hope that one day a little child would fall in love with Marchpane and melt that proud, hard heart. Do any of you recall Hans Christian Anderson's "The Girl Who Trod on a Loaf"? Inge, too, found herself frozen in her pride. I'll not tell the story, but it's one I particularly adore. I feel sure Godden was familiar with that tale.

Oh, doesn't it break your heart to see Mr. P. so sad?! Surely one day he'll realize that Birdie's spirit is still in the dolls' house, even if she is not." And Birdie's bright tinkling music went on in the dolls' house and, on her hat that still hung in the hall, and on her feather broom, and on her bird and on her parasol, the colors and the patterns were still bright."

I didn't accomplish all I would have liked to regarding all the delicious projects designed for this book, but we really love our Tottie and are ever so glad she's a part of our doll family now.

Thanks to all that played!
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Maybe in time she will come to be lonely, but she sure seems to be a doll comfortable in her own company. (Sigh.)

It did break my heart to see Mr. P. He loved Birdie. The sacrifice was great, but her memories live on.
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I sort of think she has been punished. I know that this would be the fate she'd wish for herself, being admired; but part of me thinks that the real punishment is that she will never be loved by a child and that she will never even know what she is missing. Hers is an empty existence!
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I think she is being punished, as you say, by never being loved by a child; but she doesn't realize it. So does it count??
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I think Marchpane is perfectly content with her circumstances. When someone is totally devoid of conscience and completely self absorbed they are only "happy" when they get what it is they want. Unfortunately, that means there will never be justice for Birdie's sacrifice. That is the way of the world in many instances and especially during and after wartime like when this was written. It applies just as much today. That may sound cynical, but it's life. Sometimes bad things happen to good people (Thanks Rabbi Kushner!). Perhaps that's what the author wanted children of the day to understand.
But then what do I know? I'm only a simple hillbilly.
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I hope it isn't too long before Marchpane understands that she has locked herself away from children, and it is not as fine as she thought! And since they keep mentioning her smell (from being cleaned), I hope it is filling up her glass case and making her sneeze.

Seriously, though--yes, I think maybe that might be the subtle message we are intended to take from the book. Punishment is not always right out there for everyone to see, and we sometimes make our own punishments, which might seem fine on the surface, but end up being the worst we could conceive for ourselves. In Marchpane's case, she thinks she wants to be in the museum, admired and stared at, but how long before she begins to think about the dollhouse and how it was and how it could have been, if she could have grasped what Tottie had? I feel that she thought she could--would--have the same sort of doll life as Tottie, and all she had to do was take over the dollhouse.
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Marchpane is too full of herself to realize she should be very sorry for what happened. She has what she wants now. Maybe someone should continue the story and make her into a "nice" doll. That could be interesting.

That reminds me of the little girl that so loved the wax doll at the Exhibition. Nothing was ever said about her again. One wonders what ever happened with her and the wax doll. Did she ever obtain a doll? Did the wax doll ever get out of her box?

Mr. P. stole my heart at the end. I feel so bad for him, but with Tottie's help, I am sure he will find happiness again and, like you said, Birdie's spirit is in the house. He has a job to go to every day which is good. I wonder if Emily and Charlotte will find another "wife" for Mr. Plantaganet and mother for Apple. I wonder if Emily and Charlotte ever go to visit Marchpane.

I really liked this book too. I didn't do the projects as with working full time, and other things going on, I just don't find I have the time I want for my activities. I hope to do better with the next book!!
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The bittersweet story of the wax doll and the caretaker's child touched me, too. I really wanted that one to have a happy ending. Perhaps a talented writer in this group could spin a tale from that chapter's ending. I never seem to grow tired of stories about children and their dolls. A dear friend of mine has recently suffered an illness (and is recovering, thankfully). He is a "kindred spirit", though he plays with toy soldiers, not dolls. While he was in the hospital, I lent him "The Return of the Twelves" by Pauline Clarke. He enjoyed reading it, so I suspect there are more of us out there who prefer the gentler world of playthings and stories....even if the stories sometimes reflect an imperfect world.

I'm laughing to myself because I just realized that in a week or two, two great strapping young people will be here for a visit, one in college; the other almost through high school. When they were little, they made me "The Twelves" from clothespins. My "Twelves" still dwell in a sugar-bowl in my kitchen. I wonder how they'll view the artwork of their childhood. Hope they will treasure it as I do.
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Yes--to have brought up the wax doll and caretaker's daughter, and then never follow up on it was wrong. We want to know! Perhaps (and I will pretend this is fact) she meant to write another doll book about them.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I enjoyed reading the book and wish I could have gotten more of the projects done. Darner is now a permanent resident at our Hitty house. Hitty Skye really enjoyed playing the part of Tottie, and the little MC Donald's Barbie never had so much fun before. She was our Birdie.
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I enjoyed this book too. I knew something bad was coming (I didn't read ahead--which was hard at times because I wanted to peek), and I was horrified at poor Birdie's demise. I am a sentimental Nellie and wanted a perfect ending for the little family; but, alas, life isn't like that and Godden kept it real in that respect. I also wanted a happy ending for the little girl at the Exhibition who so loved the wax doll. Maybe the author was trying to show that sometimes in life we don't always get what we desire and that's just a fact.

By doing the projects you have a piece of the book always there. What a nice reminder. Whenever you look at Darner, Hitty Skye/Tottie, and Birdie, you will remember the book. I am really going to make an effort to do some projects from the next book.
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I have enjoyed all the postings and projects everyone has done on this book. It's so much fun to look at the pictures of each reader’s interpretation of the characters. Such beautiful Totties were created. I joined too late to get in on Miss Hickory and life was too hectic for The Dolls House. At least I was able to read The Dolls House and lurk. I am looking forward to the next book so I can join in the fun!
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Re-reading the Exhibition chapters today, aiming to understand more about the caretaker's child, I was struck once more by Marchpane's lack of a compassionate soul/spirit, but even more by, what I think, may have been a little spark of love that flared in her heart, but was quickly put out by her self-concern and vindictiveness.

When the end of the Exhibition arrives, read how the French walking doll's bluster fails her when she considers returning to the museum. When Marchpane asserts that "It is grand and fine", the walking doll replies in French that "It is true, but...but...." She knows what torment it really is, being locked away behind glass and, perhaps, how lonely. How long do you think it will be before Marchpane discovers her heaven is actually the opposite?

And I can't help thinking, as the chapter continues, that something in Marchpane's warped being responds when Tottie tells of life in the dolls' house; the furnishings and, more importantly, the family of dolls. Tottie infects the listening dolls with her own joy and anticipation. They all respond with "wishing" - I think even Marchpane, judging by her claim that the house is hers, begins to long for the pleasantness that is the dolls' house. She, sadly, can only grasp in selfishness. Why would she want the dolls' house, when she so clearly desires an exalted life in the museum?

That is a question, isn't it? Now, maybe we'll consider "The Dolls' House Trilogy" and someone will write a tale of the dolls' house in Queen Victoria's era when the tale began.
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I think this had a good lesson in it as what goes around comes around--how we treat others is how, in the end, we will get treated. She wanted what Tottie had but did not want to give up her "power."
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I just noticed an error as I was getting ready to finish off this final chapter. I looked at the title of the book at the top of this Chapter and noted I had typed “The Doll’s House”. I knew that was wrong because it should be plural for several dolls. Then I looked at the inside cover of the book, and it says “The Dolls’ House”. Guess something got by the printer, editor, or whoever. And it got by me until now, so the previous archived chapters are titled “The Doll’s House.”

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