This may sound strange, but my first impression when the story began was when Eldon, on his death bead, muttered nothing but the name "Ellen". It's probably because this is the very first thing we are confronted with at the beginning of the story, but whenever I read that first passage, all I can think to myself is "If he had dropped a snow-globe when he died, it would be perfect". His constant muttering of "Ellen, Ellen" instantly brings Orson Wells 'Citizen Kane'. Going off of that, and the whole theme of Citizen Kane about trying to piece together someone’s life based on what they said on their death bed, I can't help but wonder the same about Eldon. Who was Ellen? Why was that name all he could say as he lay dying?
The question becomes even more irritating in that we never even come close to learning the answer, at least not by page 66 anyway. In fact we never learn anything about Eldon, except that that he used to be the butler, he kept a fairly detailed account of any expenses that went on in the house,as well as a few dirty secrets of the people who frequented the place, and that Miss Burch (at least I believe it was Miss Burch), said that "things would never be the same" now that he was dead. WHY? We know very little about how things used to be when he was in charge, and from how little we know about him, the man almost seems like a plot device, a means of putting Raunce in charge and establishing conflict between him and Burch. But then why have him their in the first place? That conflict could have been just as easily established without him, and the story could have simply started with Raunce already in charge, and go without mentioning Eldon, all while loosing very little, in my opinion anyway. So why put Eldon in at all?
I feel like their must be some greater reason for the brief part of his existence that we witness, otherwise Green wouldn't have had reason to put him in.
But what is it?
The question becomes even more irritating in that we never even come close to learning the answer, at least not by page 66 anyway. In fact we never learn anything about Eldon, except that that he used to be the butler, he kept a fairly detailed account of any expenses that went on in the house,as well as a few dirty secrets of the people who frequented the place, and that Miss Burch (at least I believe it was Miss Burch), said that "things would never be the same" now that he was dead. WHY? We know very little about how things used to be when he was in charge, and from how little we know about him, the man almost seems like a plot device, a means of putting Raunce in charge and establishing conflict between him and Burch. But then why have him their in the first place? That conflict could have been just as easily established without him, and the story could have simply started with Raunce already in charge, and go without mentioning Eldon, all while loosing very little, in my opinion anyway. So why put Eldon in at all?
I feel like their must be some greater reason for the brief part of his existence that we witness, otherwise Green wouldn't have had reason to put him in.
But what is it?
I bring this up because it presents a very important question that bothers me whenever Eldon's name or his notebooks are brought up.
Besides just being the butler, who was Eldon?
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