Light

Whether inside or out, Martha often comments on extremes of light. After her honeymoon with Jonathan, she complains that “light sliced through the curtains, found cracks under the pillows and T-shirts [she] put over [her] head and hurt [her] eyes…” (85). There is never enough darkness to match her desperation. Similarly, Martha notices the blown lightbulb at the Goldhawk house which has been there for so long that it is a metaphor for the home’s somber atmosphere. When Robert asks her to describe what her condition feels like at its worst, Martha explains: “It’s like going into the cinema when it’s light and when you come out you’re shocked because you didn’t expect it to be dark, but it is” (228). Significantly, Martha shields her eyes from the bright light outside when she leaves the storage unit where she and Patrick have opened...