Poetry · Character

Marie

A woman recalling childhood sledding and reading in The Waste Land's opening.

minor

Also known as Goonight May

First appearance: I: The Burial of the Dead

Marie's tie to Unknown Narrator is one of the pressures that moves Poetry—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

The speaker who recalls childhood sledding with her cousin and the freedom of the mountains, then reads much of the night and goes south in winter.

In the storyThe Waste LandOpen this moment free

See Marie in The Waste Land Book page

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With Unknown Narrator (social): Marie is a nostalgic figure from the narrator's past, sharing memories of childhood adventures and lost aristocratic grandeur. With Goonight Lou (social): Goonight Lou and Marie are linked through the narrator's associative memory, contrasting aristocratic nostalgia with vulgar entertainment. With Unknown Narrator (social): Marie is a nostalgic figure from the narrator's past, sharing memories of childhood adventures and lost aristocratic grandeur.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Marie sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Marie in I: The Burial of the Dead

Character Web

2 connections

A slice of how Marie sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Social

Character groups

The Waste Land characters
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the speaker, having been devoured and reduced to dry bones, e…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Unknown Narrator
social · positive
Marie is a nostalgic figure from the narrator's past, sharing memories of childhood… How this plays out →
Goonight Lou
social · ambivalent
Unknown Narrator
social · positive
Marie is a nostalgic figure from the narrator's past, sharing memories of childhood… How this plays out →

Unknown Narrator
Marie is a nostalgic figure from the narrator's past, sharing memories of childhood adventures and lost aristocratic grandeur.
Goonight Lou
Goonight Lou and Marie are linked through the narrator's associative memory, contrasting aristocratic nostalgia with vulgar entertainment.
Unknown Narrator
Marie is a nostalgic figure from the narrator's past, sharing memories of childhood adventures and lost aristocratic grandeur.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Marie in I: The Burial of the Dead

In the story

Marie appears across 3 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Waste Land
The speaker who recalls childhood sledding with her cousin and the freedom of the mountains, then reads much of the night and goes south in winter.
I: The Burial of the Dead
Recalls a childhood memory of sledding with her cousin at the archduke's, and mentions reading at night and traveling south in winter.
II: A Game of Chess
Marie is addressed as 'Goonight May' in the closing farewells of the pub scene.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Marie unlock in the free preview.

See Marie in I: The Burial of the Dead

See Marie in The Waste Land