A Ladder to the Sky

Alcohol is present in numerous social situations throughout the text, serving as a symbolic vehicle for the confession of secrets and lies. When Erich first sees Maurice, he is waiting on tables and carrying drinks, and during their first authentic interaction, Maurice offers to buy Erich a drink so that he can “ask [him] some questions about [his] work” (12). In subsequent encounters in which they talk and drink, Maurice slowly draws out Erich’s secrets: The alcohol breaks down Erich’s natural inhibitions and allows him to feel comfortable enough to discuss the dark truths of his past. While under the influence of alcohol, this feeling occurs in other characters as well. Later in the book, after several drinks, Edith confesses to Nicholas that she desires him and indirectly suggests that she is dissatisfied with her marriage to Maurice—secrets she chooses not to share with anyone else. After her death and Daniel’s, Maurice becomes a “functioning alcoholic” (274), and the more he drinks with Theo Field, the more he feels “everything […] [is] all right” (351). It is the false sense of security that the alcohol brings him, combined with immense guilt over the murder of his son, that draws the confession of his crimes out into the open, allowing Theo to expose his lies and bring justice to those whom Maurice has wronged.