“In the heat of her hands I thought, this is the campfire that mocks the sun. This place will warm me, feed me, and care for me. I will hold on to their pulse against other rhythms. The world will come and go in the tide of a day but here is her hand with my future in its palm.” (Winterson, 51)
This passage occurs when the narrator is standing Louise’s bedroom waiting for her to exit the bathroom. Louise then goes on to hold the narrators hand which causes the narrator to express her feelings. The narrator goes on to explain how much love and passion exists for Louise at that very moment.
The attachment that the narrator has developed for Louise is thoroughly shown throughout this passage. When the narrator lists all the things that Louise will do, a sense of dependency is evident. All of the listed acts are things that one should be able to do independently, but the narrator is looking for Louise to do them. The list that the narrator composed also gives way to the kind of heartache they would experience if Louise ever left.
There are two words show up numerous times in this passage that say a lot about how the narrator feels about the love they have for Louise. One word is “me”, which appears three times in the passage. The word “me” always shows up after an action that the narrator believes Louise will do. This shows that the narrator is mostly concerned about the benefits and outcome of the relationship in regards to their self.
There is also repetition of the word “will” in this passage. The word will implies that the act that is talked about is definitely going to happen. The fact that the narrator says Louise will do all of these things shows that they think Louise is someone who will never leave and always follow through. Louise is married and could easily up and leave at any moment, and that says a lot about the control that Louise has over the narrator.
Some words in this passage have to do with big, bright and untouchable objects. Most importantly, “the sun” and “her future”. The narrator also uses the word campfire to compare her hands to the sun and how they basically allow her to live. There is also use of the word “world” along with “sun”. This shows that the narrator thinks of Louise as this untouchable object that she would not be able to survive without.
The phrases “world will come and go” and “here is her hand” reinforces how important Louise is. Saying these two phrases in the same sentence shows that even when something as crucial as the world is gone, the hands of the woman they love will still be there.