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Part Two
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Good Morning, Midnight, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Sadness and Vulnerability
Identity and Belonging
Memory, Loss, and Change
Money and Manipulation
Summary
Analysis
Sasha loses herself in memories of her relationship with Enno. They once stayed in a small room crowded by furniture. Time passed slowly, and Sasha remembers hearing life in Amsterdam go by out the window as clocks ticked in the room. She didn’t particularly like that, but she consoled herself by remembering that, at the very least, she had escaped London. Neither she nor Enno had much money, though they both thought the other did when they first got together. Nonetheless, it didn’t matter that they weren’t rich—the war was over, and everyone was just looking to have a good time.
The narrative timeline can be hard to track in Good Morning, Midnight, since Sasha often falls abruptly into long flashbacks. In this section, for instance, she completely immerses herself in the past, and it’s not exactly clear what sparked her deep reminiscence. All the same, readers finally get some information about her history with Enno, whose memory haunts so much of her present life. It quickly becomes clear that they were often worried about money—a concern that is still very real for Sasha. And yet, they apparently didn’t care too much about finances, instead sustaining themselves on new love and the promise of a fresh start in the aftermath of World War I.
Themes
Sasha’s family didn’t approve of her relationship with Enno, nor did they think it was a wise idea to run off with him to Amsterdam. But Sasha didn’t care, instead getting excited about the idea of going to Paris someday soon with Enno. Once they got to Paris, they’d be able to live the lavish life they used to lead when they first got together, before each of them ran out of money.
Sasha and Enno romanticized the idea of Paris, viewing the city as a place that would solve all of their problems—including their financial worries. However, they didn’t seem to have any kind of plan for how they would support themselves when they actually reached Paris. In a sense, then, their time in the city—and perhaps their entire relationship—was doomed from the start.
Themes
Enno and Sasha got married in London at a town hall, then went to a bar. Enno called the entire marriage process “idiotic,” and when Sasha asked if he’d ever leave her, he simply told her to act happy. He was a journalist, but he also made his living by playing music, so they went to his friend’s apartment and got drunk with other musicians, singing songs all afternoon and night. Sasha was still drunk when they boarded a train for Amsterdam.
Again, the structure of Good Morning, Midnight is often disjointed, ultimately reflecting the strange way that memory often works. For instance, the beginning of Sasha’s flashback began when she and Enno were in Amsterdam, but now it goes back even further to explain the events that led them to the city in the first place. The narrative thus takes on a layered quality, as details arise in the same random patterns as they would in an actual memory. On another note, it becomes clear that Enno isn’t necessarily all that kind, since he has no problem calling his and Sasha’s marriage ceremony “idiotic”—yet another indication that their relationship might not last.
Themes
Sasha loses herself in her memory of Amsterdam. Her and Enno’s room there is clean and nice. They pass the time drinking champagne and talking about Paris. All the while, Enno tells Sasha not to worry about money or think too much about love. When they go to a museum, everything looks especially beautiful to Sasha because she feels intoxicated by spending time with Enno—making love so much has brought a certain vibrancy to life. And no matter what they do, they talk about Paris, fixating on it so much that Sasha longs more than anything to be there, so they leave Amsterdam at once.
Sasha is smitten with Enno—so smitten, in fact, that everything about her life seems better when she’s with him. Enno, on the other hand, is less enthusiastic. The fact that he tells her not to think so much about love implies that he doesn’t want her to get hung up on their relationship. Despite the obvious red flags in their marriage, though, Sasha appears unwilling (or unable) to recognize the cracks in their bond. Her ignorance therefore suggests that it’s often easier to lose oneself in the fantasy of happiness than actually deal with problems or misgivings.
Themes
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On their way to Paris, Sasha and Enno stop in Brussels. Their hotel room is hot and loud, and they hardly have any money left. Enno tells Sasha that he knows how he could get some money. Instructing her not to leave the room, he goes out without telling her his plan. But while he’s gone, Sasha remembers that she knows a man in Brussels named Mr. Lawson, so she arranges to meet him. They went on a date a while ago, and he gave her his address and asked her to get in touch if she ever came through Brussels. He hardly remembers this encounter, but he’s polite enough to hear her out as she explains that she and Enno are essentially stuck in Brussels on their way to Paris.
For all of Enno and Sasha’s optimism about how their lives will improve once they reach Paris, reality still comes crashing down on them: without money, they won’t be able to survive, let alone reach Paris. When Sasha calls on Mr. Lawson for money, she behaves like one of the many people in the novel who show interest in someone else just because they want some money. Though she doesn’t necessarily manipulate him, it’s obvious that she only cares about his wealth.
Themes
Mr. Lawson gives Sasha the money and turns to leave. But then he comes back and kisses her on the lips. She hates him deeply in this moment, but she still kisses him back. He then smiles, says goodbye, and takes his leave.
Because Mr. Lawson can see that Sasha wants his money, he realizes that he’s in a position of power. In a way, Sasha realizes the same thing when she first meets René and decides to string him along because she believes he’s after money (which she doesn’t actually have). The difference, though, is that Mr. Lawson exploits his power in a disgusting and manipulative way by kissing Sasha, whom he knows feels obligated to kiss him back, whereas Sasha only tricks René as a way of playfully teaching him a lesson about sizing people up.
Themes
Back at the hotel, Enno admits that he wasn’t able to get any money. When Sasha says that she did manage to get some cash, he’s suspicious, wanting to know who she borrowed the money from. She lies and says she knows a woman who lives in Brussels, but when Enno starts asking questions about her, Sasha tells him to shut up. She starts to cry, at which point Enno tells her to stop, but she just tells him to shut up again.
Enno is jealous that Sasha was able to secure some cash, perhaps intuiting that she went on a date with another man in order to borrow the funds. The fight they have is yet another indication that their relationship isn’t quite as strong as Sasha would like to think, as it’s apparently founded on jealousy, secrecy, and suspicion.
Themes
Sasha is in the bathroom at the train station the next time she cries. Having just thrown up, she worries she might be pregnant, but she pulls herself together and joins Enno on the platform. They then make their way to Calais, France, where Enno knows a man who has promised to lend them money. Sasha feels awkward, since it’s clear that this man’s wife doesn’t want him to lend out their money—in fact, it’s actually her money, but he monopolizes it and decides how it gets spent. Sasha feels bad about taking money from the woman, but Enno has no qualms about it. Having secured the funds, then, they finally make it to Paris.
Again, the topic of money puts a strain on yet another relationship in the novel, as Enno’s friend uses his wife’s money in a way that causes her to resent him. Sasha recognizes that they have a strained dynamic and that it’s not right for the man to dole out his wife’s money however he pleases, but Enno doesn’t seem to care—a sign that they have different values, which doesn’t bode well for their marriage.
Themes
As soon as the train arrives in Paris, Enno tells Sasha to wait in a café because he needs to talk to some people. He leaves her sitting there for more than three hours. He finally returns with a tall man. Right away, Sasha can tell from Enno’s face that he has managed to borrow money from the man. All of a sudden, she feels incredibly happy, as Enno explains that he was able to secure a room for them. Clearly in good spirits, he buys Sasha a rose, making her feel deeply enchanted by the fact that she’s in Paris with her new husband.
At last, Sasha and Enno feel the sense of elation and excitement they dreamed about before reaching Paris. The problem, however, is that their happiness is directly tied to the fact that Enno was able to borrow money. As soon as this money runs out, though, it seems likely that their bliss will quickly fade.
Themes
Later that night, after paying in advance for an entire month at the hotel, Sasha and Enno wake up to see bugs crawling all over the wall. The hotel won’t give them their money back, so they have to move to another room while that one gets fumigated. Upon returning to the original room, Sasha spends her days lounging in the room and trying to ignore the strong smell of chemicals. She also starts teaching English on the side, and though this brings in some money, Enno resents her for it. In fact, Enno grows increasingly meanspirited, telling Sasha that she doesn’t know how to make love and that she’s boring. He storms out after saying this and doesn’t come back for multiple days.
Sasha and Enno’s happiness doesn’t last long at all, possibly because Enno most had to spend the majority of their borrowed money all at once by paying in advance for the hotel. They don’t have to worry about where they’ll live for the next month, but they also don’t have much left to sustain themselves, which is why Sasha starts teaching English. The fact that their financial hurdles quickly throw them into misery suggests their bond is very weak.
Themes
Sasha waits for Enno to come back. She’s sure by now that she’s pregnant, but she hasn’t told him. Eventually, Sasha accepts that Enno isn’t going to return—and then he suddenly comes back. He’s in a great mood, telling her that he managed to get some money and asking her to peel him an orange. She knows she should tell him to peel it himself; she should yell at him and turn him away. But she doesn’t do any of this, instead just peeling the orange and watching as he brings out two thousand francs.
By this point, it’s evident that Enno’s mood is directly tied to whether or not he has any money. And yet, his happiness about getting cash never lasts long, serving as a good reminder that money can’t buy happiness (though the book also implies that living in poverty does make it harder to be happy).
Themes
Life in Paris smooths out for Sasha and Enno. Sasha doesn’t mind staying in the stuffy, bug-filled room, and Enno gets excited about the possibility of writing for a tea company’s new advertising campaign. What’s more, Sasha and Enno have friends who come and go, like an embroiderer-turned-singer named Lise—a kind, meek French woman of whom Sasha is quite fond.
Although Good Morning, Midnight illustrates that wealth doesn’t lead to legitimate happiness, it also acknowledges that having money can make everyday life easier to bear. Whenever Enno has money, his mood is vastly better, meaning that his and Sasha’s relationship benefits from his financial stability. On the flipside, though, Sasha’s lingering sadness during periods of financial stability makes it clear that money doesn’t provide an assured path to happiness.
Themes
While eating dinner in the hotel room one night, Lise unexpectedly says that she wishes there’d be another war and that she’d get killed in it—she has nobody in her life, and her most recent show has come to an end and now she’ll have to go back to her life as an embroiderer. Sasha tries to console her but ultimately starts crying, too, at which point Enno comes in, makes a sarcastic comment about how happy and uplifting the scene is, and starts laughing. After a moment, Lise and Sasha start laughing, too, and then none of them can stop.
Although the novel explores the powerful and overwhelming nature of sadness, it also subtly implies that there’s a strange absurdity to human misery. Like Sasha herself, Lise is deeply depressed, but they’re both capable of laughing at their own sorrow when Enno jokes about how gloomy they’re acting. There is, then, a sense of catharsis in this scene, as Sasha cuts loose, finds some enjoyment in her own sadness, and connects with her friend Lise over their shared unhappiness.
Themes
It’s winter now, and Sasha’s baby is due soon. And yet, she rarely worries about the future—she doesn’t think about how she’ll support the baby financially, though she knows that it might be difficult to do so. If Enno gets hired by the tea company, he’ll have to leave Paris for the job. Luckily, though, the hotelkeeper will help take care of Sasha while he’s gone and will help her get to the sage femme (midwife) when the time comes.
Sasha is surprisingly optimistic during her pregnancy, keeping herself from worrying too much about what will happen when she gives birth. And yet, it’s quite likely that her optimism is actually just a defense mechanism—she clearly senses that Enno might leave her on her own with the baby, but she chooses not to dwell on this knowledge because it’s so upsetting.
Themes
The sage femme (midwife) is very comforting, but nothing can console Sasha because her baby has died. She tries not to think about anything at all, wanting to just watch branches move against the sky. Still, she keeps thinking about how her baby was dressed when he died. Back in her hotel, she calls God “cruel,” and then Enno declares that he can’t sit there in the room anymore—he needs to get out, so he leaves. Not much later, Enno leaves Paris for good, and though he promises to write and send money, Sasha knows their relationship is over. She’s not sure if they ever truly loved each other—all she knows is that after he leaves, she starts to fall apart.
It’s bad enough that Enno leaves Sasha after she gives birth, but it’s even worse that he does so after the death of their baby. Even if Sasha didn’t love him, it would make sense that she starts to fall apart when he leaves—after all, she has lost everything and now faces the challenge of putting her life back together on her own.
Themes
In the following weeks, Sasha drifts through Paris and writes to England asking for money. As she waits for funds, she starts eating at a local convent that serves food to women like her who need support. It’s all very depressing, but she manages to get the money she asked for, so at least she can get some new clothes. She plans out her days, organizing them around what she wants to buy—a dress, some gloves, perfume, lipstick. What really matters to her is the actual act of spending money, which, along with drinking, helps her forget everything else in her life.
Once again, Sasha turns to money and material items to address her emotional troubles. Because this entire section is a flashback, though, readers know that nothing she does—no amount of shopping—will address her sadness, since she’s still depressed in the novel’s present action.
Themes
