59 pages • 1-hour read
Shrines of Gaiety
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Symbols & Motifs
Minnie’s Locket
Minnie is one of the “lost girls” of the book. She first appears in Chapter 13 when Frobisher is called to examine her body in the morgue. Frobisher notes that the anonymous dead girl (identity not yet known) has a locket around her neck. Inside are photos of Minnie’s mother and her dog. The locket is a symbolic representation of the many “lost girls,” unidentified and unclaimed that Frobisher encounters throughout the narrative. The locket personalizes the unknown body, reminding the reader that these unnamed victims have backstories—they had dreams and people who loved them and miss them. The physical object in itself represents such a body, presented unassumingly to the world but concealing inside it memories and feelings of love. Freda is the counterpoint to Minnie and seems constantly in danger of becoming a “lost girl” just like her. These “lost girls” are a sore point for Frobisher, as he usually encounters them only after they’re dead—the best he can do is identify them, in most cases, using items such as this locket.
It's not until Chapter 56 that Minnie’s identity is known. Her mother comes to the police station to report her missing, and Frobisher is able to identify the girl because the mother knows what photos Minnie’s locket holds. Only at this point does Frobisher, and the reader, learn Minnie’s identity. By giving the dead anonymous girl her name back, the narrative further humanizes her and reminds the reader that all these bodies of dead girls are individuals. This is the opposite of how they’re treated by characters like Maddox and Oakes, who view the girls as cogs in a machine in their sex work ring. When Freda recognizes the way girls were “bought and sold, traded again and again” (343), her words could as well be about these girls or a locket—much like the brooch that Frobisher buys from the pawn shop in Chapter 42.
Tutankhamun’s Tomb
Tutankhamun’s tomb is a motif that appears consistently throughout the book. Frobisher first mentions it: “There were some superstitious fools, encouraged by the scandal sheets, who blamed the curse of Tutankhamun” (31). Later, Florence picks up the thread when she tells Freda, “He’s [Tutankhamun] haunting the streets, looking for victims, because we dug him up and disturbed his eternal rest” (158). Like Maud for Nellie, Tutankhamun’s ghost externalizes an unrealized moral standard for Florence, but this time on a national level that invokes the atrocities of British imperialism. Again, Betty and Shirley refer to the Egyptian pharaoh after discovering the arson at the Pixie: “There was more chance of Tutankhamun being resuscitated than there was of Nellie wanting the police involved” (196). The motif is supported by the fact that one of Nellie’s clubs has an Egyptian theme, the Sphinx. The Egyptology references historically contextualize the book, set in 1926—Tutankhamun was unearthed in 1922 by British archaeologists against a background of British colonialism in Egypt and Egypt’s struggle for independence. According to the lore of the time, unearthing the tomb brings bad luck and invites a curse on the people who unearthed it. The symbolic reference here thus creates a sense of foreboding, painting an ominous setting for the reader. It also recalls the idea of Pandora’s Box: Many of the characters “unearth a tomb” or “open a box,” metaphorically speaking, and thus invite danger into their lives. Nellie’s tomb is when she steals the amethyst; Gwendolen’s is when she accepts the mission from Frobisher; and Freda’s is when she runs off to London.
Ramsay’s Book
Ramsay’s attempts to write a book are humorously portrayed throughout the novel, and Atkinson includes excerpts of Ramsay’s authorial attempts for humorous effect. In the end, Ramsay won’t be able to finish his manuscript; instead, he will resort to stealing Vivian Quinn’s and passing it off as his own. The book is thus a symbolic representation of the dangers of ambition. Ramsay’s desire to become a writer leads him to take immoral steps. The egregious act is underscored by the fact that Ramsay dedicates the book to Vivian. Ramsay’s narrative arc moves from this anti-climax to a punishment for his dishonesty, as he dies a gruesome death (falling out of a window) and never achieves the fame he desired. The book can also be seen as a symbolic representation for The Arbitrary Nature of Social Class since Ramsay does not present qualities that deem him more worthy of wealth or status than anyone else.
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