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Sasha’s romanticized perception of the hotel rooms she stays in throughout the novel—both in the present and the past—symbolizes her failed attempts to find happiness by seeking out change. When she returns to Paris after a long absence, she books a room in a perfectly suitable hotel, but it isn’t long before she decides she needs a nicer, brighter room in a more luxurious establishment. Then, when the receptionist at the new hotel tells her about a particularly nice room, she feels as if her entire life will change for the better if she’s able to live there (even though she can’t afford it). When it becomes clear that she won’t be able to stay in this room, though, she returns to her original hotel and realizes that “all rooms are the same,” since they’re just places to “hide” from the terrors of the outside world. The fact that she romanticized the light-filled room so much but then completely gave up her search for a new hotel reveals her “grass is greener” mentality, indicating that she frequently yearns for new living arrangements but never manages to find a place that resolves her unhappiness.
Hotel Rooms Quotes in Good Morning, Midnight
The Good Morning, Midnight quotes below all refer to the symbol of Hotel Rooms. 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:
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Part One
Quotes
I listen anxiously to this conversation. Suddenly I feel that I must have number 219, with bath—number 219, with rose-coloured curtains, carpet and bath. I shall exist on a different plane at once if I can get this room, if only for a couple of nights. It will be an omen. Who says you can’t escape from your fate? I’ll escape from mine, into room number 219. Just try me, just give me a chance.
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‘Do you know what I feel about you? I think you are very lonely. I know, because for a long time I was lonely myself. I hated people, I didn’t want to see anyone. And then one day I thought: “No, this isn’t the way.” And now I go about a lot. I force myself to. I have a lot of friends; I’m never alone. Now I’m much happier.’
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Part Four
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I have my arms round him and I begin to laugh, because I am so happy. I stand there hugging him, so terribly happy. Now everything is in my arms on this dark landing—love, youth, spring, happiness, everything I thought I’d lost. I was a fool, wasn’t I? to think all that was finished for me. How could it be finished?
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Get the entire Good Morning, Midnight LitChart as a printable PDF.
Hotel Rooms Symbol Timeline in Good Morning, Midnight
The timeline below shows where the symbol Hotel Rooms appears in Good Morning, Midnight. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part One
Sasha’s room in Paris reminds her of the past. It has been five days since she returned...
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...machine, always trying to avoid thinking about the past. Nonetheless, she sits in her hotel room and reflects on her return to Paris. She was previously living in London and drinking...
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...Hoping to find something more cheerful, she goes to another hotel and asks for their room with the most natural sunlight. The receptionist agrees to show her their best room, and...
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Sasha declines the room and goes back to her own hotel, which she now appreciates much more. All rooms,...
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In her hotel room, Sasha lies down and plunges into a flashback about the last time she lived in...
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Part Two
...fantasized about killing herself, but she kept putting it off—she had already paid for her room through the month, so she figured she might as well stick around.
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...Sitting in the dark hotel, Sasha stares at the painting and feels as if her room brings back too many memories, reminding her of every other room she has ever stayed...
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Part Three
...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...
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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....
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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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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While eating dinner in the hotel room one night, Lise unexpectedly says that she wishes there’d be another war and that she’d...
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...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...
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Part Four
...cow, but she has no idea why he’s so upset. Then, once she’s inside her room, a knock sounds on the door. It’s René. He tells her that he stopped by...
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Sasha has a brief flashback to lounging in a room with a previous lover—a lover who mistreated her and often brought home other women. She...
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...she feels reenergized and in touch with her emotions. She and René go into her room, where they passionately kiss. But as soon as they’re fully inside, she can tell that...
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...she realizes she doesn’t want the people in her hotel to know he’s in her room. He seems to realize the same thing and tauntingly tells her to cry for help....
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...so she tries to communicate with him in her mind, calling him back to the room.
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