Miss Helen Slingsby was my maiden aunt,

And lived in a small house near a fashionable square

Cared for by servants to the number of four.
Now when she died there was silence in heaven
And silence at her end of the street.
The shutters were drawn and the undertaker wiped his feet-He was aware that this sort of thing had occurred before.
The dogs were handsomely provided for,
But shortly afterwards the parrot died too.
The Dresden clock continued ticking on the mantelpiece,
And the footman sat upon the dining-table
Holding the second housemaid on his knees-Who had always been so careful while her mistress lived.

Aunt Helen - T.S. Eliot [1888-1965]

Relevant Background

Thomas Stearns [TS] Eliot was born in into a wealthy family in St Louis, Missouri, America in 1888.

As he grew up in the city of St. Louis Eliot became aware of the contrasting muddy streets of poorer
St. Louis and the posh, snobby lifestyle of its wealthy classes.

T.S. Eliot wrote a number of poems, like Aunt Helen, in which he mocked snobbery and doublestandards.

He experienced more of the formal and posh life-style he liked to mock when he lived in Boston U.S.A.
and in London.

Here he imagines the funeral of a middle class lady with failed notions of her own grandeur.

Summary

The poem opens with three lines which describe the location of the poets aunt.

The word maiden suggests the lady was proper, too proper to marry a man.

The womans name is comical and suggests that Eliot made up her surname to mock people like her.

The word Miss shows that the poet or speaker had a formal or distant relationship with her.

The word near in the second line shows the aunt wanted to live in a fashionable area but didnt have
quite enough money to afford to.

The word-order of line three, especially the last five words, shows that his aunt was very grand or
formal in her ways./li>

The next three lines describe the funeral of the poets aunt.

The repeated word silence may indicate either respect for her remains or a lack of interest in her.

She made very little impact either in heaven or among her neighbours.

AS she was a distant and snobby woman who lived by rules, it is possible no one really cared about
her death.

The drawing of shutters and wiping of feet indicate that people abided by the rules of good social
behaviour when she died. But there is no expression of sorrow. The reaction is therefore empty.

Overall it seems that this woman was self-important but not important to anyone else.

The seventh line, which refers to the thoughts of the undertaker, suggests that the death of this social
snob was no big dealthat it was a common type of occurrence.

No reference is made to any relative inheriting the house. Rather, it seems Miss Slingsby cared only for
her dogs.

Thus she is not a person who is admired by the poet.

It appears Miss Slingsby had no close relationship with any person. Rather she cared about keeping up
appearances.

The parrot that died soon after was the only creature that depended on her or felt for her. This event
suggests that the aunt may have no more human worth or personality than the same parrot. It is also
a humorous detail. Presumably the parrot lived by imitating Miss Slingsbyand faithfully performed a
final act of imitation by dying.

The reference to the clock continuing suggests the death of Miss Slingsby had no impact on society or
the world. Time continued fine without her.

The final three lines showed a difference in standards between the old virgin who died and her lustful
servants.

This description is a joke to show that Miss Slingsbys outlook on life and her rules were not relevant to
anybody else.

If the speaker is really her nephew, he is letting us know that he had no respect for the maiden aunt
and her snobbish ways.

She may have got people to keep her rules while she was alive, but she convinced no one to live by
her dull and joyless standards.

Themes

Lives of empty habit

Eliot believes that much of human activity is based on habit and is a waste of time. The aunt in the
poem stood for certain manners and values but neither the poet nor her servants had any respect for
those values. While she felt very important with her four servants and by dwelling close to a
fashionable area, her life meant nothing to anybody. Only a parrot was affected by her passing. Miss
Slingsby live a life full of form, but empty form.

Double standards
Miss Slingsby had dreams of social advancement and managed to employ four servants. This shows
great self-importance and concern for herself. However, she cared only for her dogs and a parrot. She
left nothing to any of the servants who cared for her and seemingly abided by her rules. She valued
dogs more than humans-even though she appeared to value her social image. The servants were
careful while the aunt lived but behind their employers back they were engaging in the kind of sexual
activity she would have despised. A real stinger!

Sexual behaviour
Miss Slingsby was a maiden and probably despised sex. As a result she had never married and died
without heirs or any family to mourn her. Her servants on the other hand enjoyed fulfilling their sexual
desire in various situations. Rather than mourn for their deceased mistress, they performed a sexual
act on the dining room table where they had often served her meals. Just as the shutters were drawn
on the house for the funeral, the servants also had a hidden life that would have scandalised their
mistress.

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