# Performance and Being on Show in Memoirs of a Midget

> Theme guide for Memoirs of a Midget by Walter de la Mare.

The narrator is repeatedly put on display, from Mrs. Monnerie's salon to the circus, and reflects on how all people are 'on show' in society, questioning the line between authentic self and public spectacle.

## Where it surfaces

- [Beechwood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/beechwood): Characters at Beechwood are constantly performing their social roles, with the narrator observing the theatricality of their lives.
- [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xiv): Fanny is described as theatrical, watching herself in mirrors and observing her effects on others, and the narrator notes her 'serene, theatrical' seriousness.
- [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xv): Fanny's mockery of the concert performers and her own performative behavior during the evening.
- [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xvi): The narrator's public outing turns into a spectacle, with a crowd pursuing her as if she were a curiosity or a criminal.
- [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xix): The narrator feels like a spectacle, especially when pressured to recite poetry, and Lady Pollacke enjoys the attention drawn to them.
- [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxiv): The narrator is the center of attention, reciting a poem and being scrutinized by the company, highlighting the theme of being on display.
- [London](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/london): London is depicted as a stage where individuals adopt roles and masks, mirroring the narrator's own sense of performing a part in an unfamiliar environment.
- [XXXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxxiv): Miss M. is constantly on display, whether in the garden, at the theatre, or during private views. She is dressed to look like a child, and her responses are treated as curiosities by Mrs. Monnerie.
- [XLI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xli): The narrator performs at Mrs. Monnerie's luncheon, and Lord Chiltern comments on her as an 'exquisite little performance'.
- [XLIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xliii): The entire banquet is a theatrical spectacle where the narrator is forced to perform as the centerpiece, culminating in her public collapse.
- [XLV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xlv): The narrator decides to exhibit herself for money, reflecting on her past as a 'pot of caviar' and embracing the role of a performer.
- [XLVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xlvi): The narrator's entire circus debut is a performance, from her costume and pose to her fortune-telling and pony ride, highlighting the theme of being on display.
- [XLVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xlvii): The narrator performs as the Signorina, enduring the crowd's gaze and the showman's demands, while reflecting on the degradation and thrill of being on display.
- [XLIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xlix): The chapter centers on the idea of being on show, as Mrs. Monnerie argues that everyone is performing for an audience. The narrator's own duplicity and the discussion of the Spanish Princess highlight this theme.
- [Wanderslore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/wanderslore): Wanderslore is depicted as a stage where characters play out their roles, highlighting the theme of social performance and the masks people wear.
- [LI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/li): The narrator revels in the circus performance, feeling alive under the gaze of the audience, but also struggles with the dehumanizing aspect of being a spectacle.
- [LII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/lii): The narrator's disguise and performance in the booth highlight the theme of being on display, with the audience's reactions ranging from disgust to curiosity.
- [Lyndsey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/lyndsey): Lyndsey's life as a circus performer highlights the constant state of being observed and the blurring of personal identity with public spectacle.
- [LV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/lv): The narrator acknowledges that her tale itself is a form of being on show again, as Mrs. Monnerie had observed.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/themes/performance_and_being_on_show
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/themes