Good Morning, Midnight

by

Jean Rhys

Enno is Sasha’s former lover. He and Sasha got married in London and then traveled through Europe with the intention of settling in Paris. They both assumed that the other had money, but neither of them were all that wealthy. Still, Enno was convinced that he and Sasha would have all kinds of exciting opportunities in Paris, and though it is the case that they managed to support themselves there for a while, he eventually left the city (and, in turn, Sasha) for a job as a copywriter. His departure took place not long after his and Sasha’s newborn baby died, meaning that he left Sasha in a period of extreme sadness. Although Enno never actually appears in the novel’s present action, his memory haunts Sasha everywhere she goes, especially because she keeps walking by Parisian restaurants or cafés that they used to frequent together, making it that much harder for her to move on.

Enno Quotes in Good Morning, Midnight

The Good Morning, Midnight quotes below are all either spoken by Enno or refer to Enno. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Sadness and Vulnerability Theme Icon
).
Part One Quotes

Paris is looking very nice tonight....You are looking very nice tonight, my beautiful, my darling, and oh what a bitch you can be! But you didn’t kill me after all, did you? And they couldn’t kill me either....

Just about here we waited for a couple of hours to see Anatole France’s funeral pass, because, Enno said, we mustn’t let such a great literary figure disappear without paying him the tribute of a last salute.

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Enno
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:

And five weeks afterwards there I am, with not one line, not one wrinkle, not one crease.

And there he is, lying with a ticket tied round his wrist because he died in a hospital. And there I am looking down at him, without one line, without one wrinkle, without one crease....

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Enno
Page Number: 61
Explanation and Analysis:
Part Three Quotes

I haven’t any money. He hasn’t any either. We both thought the other had money. But people are doing crazy things all over the place. The war is over. No more war—never, never, never. Après la guerre, there’ll be a good time everywhere....And not to go back to London. It isn’t so fine, what I have to go back to in London.

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Enno
Page Number: 114
Explanation and Analysis:

I am tuned up to top pitch. Everything is smooth, soft and tender. Making love. The colours of the pictures. The sunsets. Tender, north colours when the sun sets—pink, mauve, green and blue. And the wind very fresh and cold and the lights in the canals like gold caterpillars and the seagulls swooping over the water. Tuned up to top pitch. Everything tender and melancholy—as life is sometimes, just for one moment....

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Enno
Page Number: 117
Explanation and Analysis:

‘I want very much to go back to Paris,’ Enno would say. ‘It has no reason, no sense. But all the same I want to go back there. Certain houses, certain streets….No sense, no reason. Just this nostalgia[…]’

Suddenly I am in a fever of anxiety to get there. Let’s be on our way, let’s be on our way....Why shouldn’t we get as far as Brussels? All right, we’ll get as far as Brussels; might be something doing in Brussels.

But the fifteen pounds have gone. We raise every penny we can. We sell most of our clothes.

My beautiful life in front of me, opening out like a fan in my hand….

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Enno (speaker)
Page Number: 117-118
Explanation and Analysis:

‘I’ve got some money,’ he says. ‘My God, isn’t it hot? Peel me an orange.’

‘I'm very thirsty’ he says. ‘Peel me an orange.’

Now is the time to say ‘Peel it yourself’, now is the time to say ‘Go to hell’, now is the time to say ‘I won’t be treated like this’. But much too strong—the room, the street, the thing in myself, oh, much too strong....I peel the orange, put it on a plate and give it to him.

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Enno (speaker), Mr. Blank
Page Number: 129
Explanation and Analysis:

‘Lise, don’t cry.’

‘Non, non, j’en ai assez.’

I also start to cry. No, life is too sad; it’s quite impossible.

Sitting in front of the flamme bleue, arms round each other’s waists, crying. No, life is too sad....My tears fall on her thick hair, which always smells so nice.

Enno, coming in with another bottle of Asti spumante, says: ‘Oh, my God, this is gay,’ and laughs loudly. Lise and I look at each other and start laughing too. Soon we are all rolling, helpless with laughter. It’s too much, I can’t any more, it’s too much....

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Lise (speaker), Enno
Page Number: 134
Explanation and Analysis:

Just the sensation of spending, that’s the point. I’ll look at bracelets studded with artificial jewels, red, green and blue, necklaces of imitation pearls, cigarette-cases, jewelled tortoises....And when I have had a couple of drinks I shan’t know whether it’s yesterday, today or tomorrow.

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Enno
Page Number: 145
Explanation and Analysis:
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Good Morning, Midnight PDF

Enno Quotes in Good Morning, Midnight

The Good Morning, Midnight quotes below are all either spoken by Enno or refer to Enno. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Sadness and Vulnerability Theme Icon
).
Part One Quotes

Paris is looking very nice tonight....You are looking very nice tonight, my beautiful, my darling, and oh what a bitch you can be! But you didn’t kill me after all, did you? And they couldn’t kill me either....

Just about here we waited for a couple of hours to see Anatole France’s funeral pass, because, Enno said, we mustn’t let such a great literary figure disappear without paying him the tribute of a last salute.

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Enno
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:

And five weeks afterwards there I am, with not one line, not one wrinkle, not one crease.

And there he is, lying with a ticket tied round his wrist because he died in a hospital. And there I am looking down at him, without one line, without one wrinkle, without one crease....

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Enno
Page Number: 61
Explanation and Analysis:
Part Three Quotes

I haven’t any money. He hasn’t any either. We both thought the other had money. But people are doing crazy things all over the place. The war is over. No more war—never, never, never. Après la guerre, there’ll be a good time everywhere....And not to go back to London. It isn’t so fine, what I have to go back to in London.

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Enno
Page Number: 114
Explanation and Analysis:

I am tuned up to top pitch. Everything is smooth, soft and tender. Making love. The colours of the pictures. The sunsets. Tender, north colours when the sun sets—pink, mauve, green and blue. And the wind very fresh and cold and the lights in the canals like gold caterpillars and the seagulls swooping over the water. Tuned up to top pitch. Everything tender and melancholy—as life is sometimes, just for one moment....

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Enno
Page Number: 117
Explanation and Analysis:

‘I want very much to go back to Paris,’ Enno would say. ‘It has no reason, no sense. But all the same I want to go back there. Certain houses, certain streets….No sense, no reason. Just this nostalgia[…]’

Suddenly I am in a fever of anxiety to get there. Let’s be on our way, let’s be on our way....Why shouldn’t we get as far as Brussels? All right, we’ll get as far as Brussels; might be something doing in Brussels.

But the fifteen pounds have gone. We raise every penny we can. We sell most of our clothes.

My beautiful life in front of me, opening out like a fan in my hand….

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Enno (speaker)
Page Number: 117-118
Explanation and Analysis:

‘I’ve got some money,’ he says. ‘My God, isn’t it hot? Peel me an orange.’

‘I'm very thirsty’ he says. ‘Peel me an orange.’

Now is the time to say ‘Peel it yourself’, now is the time to say ‘Go to hell’, now is the time to say ‘I won’t be treated like this’. But much too strong—the room, the street, the thing in myself, oh, much too strong....I peel the orange, put it on a plate and give it to him.

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Enno (speaker), Mr. Blank
Page Number: 129
Explanation and Analysis:

‘Lise, don’t cry.’

‘Non, non, j’en ai assez.’

I also start to cry. No, life is too sad; it’s quite impossible.

Sitting in front of the flamme bleue, arms round each other’s waists, crying. No, life is too sad....My tears fall on her thick hair, which always smells so nice.

Enno, coming in with another bottle of Asti spumante, says: ‘Oh, my God, this is gay,’ and laughs loudly. Lise and I look at each other and start laughing too. Soon we are all rolling, helpless with laughter. It’s too much, I can’t any more, it’s too much....

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Lise (speaker), Enno
Page Number: 134
Explanation and Analysis:

Just the sensation of spending, that’s the point. I’ll look at bracelets studded with artificial jewels, red, green and blue, necklaces of imitation pearls, cigarette-cases, jewelled tortoises....And when I have had a couple of drinks I shan’t know whether it’s yesterday, today or tomorrow.

Related Characters: Sasha (speaker), Enno
Page Number: 145
Explanation and Analysis: