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The Pear Tree
Moonlight represents transformation and illusion in the story. Bertha sees the moon rising when she is looking out at the pear tree before the dinner party and associates this with the transformative potential of the evening, which she believes will bring about some change in her life and lead to the fulfilment of her hidden desire for Pearl Fulton. The moon continues to have a transformative effect over the evening: when Eddie Warren arrives, he complains that the moonlight has made his socks whiter and transformed his taxi driver into a “sinister” and “timeless” figure whom Eddie was afraid would kidnap him in an “eternal taxi.” Pearl is also associated with the moon: dressed all in silver, she has a pearl-like appearance reflective of her name and similar to the white glow of the moon. This represents the idea that Pearl herself has had a transformative effect upon Bertha’s life, just as the moon has transformed the night outside and made ordinary things seem mysterious and extraordinary. It is Pearl’s presence which is responsible for Bertha’s feeling of “bliss,” which has transformed the world around her and made her feel “tender” towards everything and everyone. However, just as the moonlight has had an artificial effect upon the appearance of the taxi driver and made him appear like an “eternal” creature, Pearl’s affinity with how Bertha feels also proves to be an illusion. It is revealed that Pearl is, in fact, having an affair with Bertha’s husband Harry. As such, it is likely that her friendliness towards Bertha is a means to allow Pearl to spend time with Harry while deflecting suspicion.
Moonlight Quotes in Bliss
The Bliss quotes below all refer to the symbol of Moonlight. 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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Bliss Quotes
And then Miss Fulton, all in silver, with a silver fillet binding her pale blond hair, came in smiling, her head a little on one side. “Am I late?”
“No, not at all,” said Bertha. “Come along.” And she took her arm and they moved into the dining-room. What was there in the touch of that cool arm that could fan—fan—start blazing – blazing – the fire of bliss that Bertha did not know what to do with. Miss Fulton did not look at her; but then she seldom did look at people directly… But Bertha knew, suddenly, as if the longest, most intimate look had passed between them—as if they had said to each other: “You, too”—that Pearl Fulton, stirring the beautiful red soup in the grey plate, was feeling just what she was feeling.
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Pearl Fulton is the final guest to arrive at Bertha’s dinner party. When she arrives, and Bertha takes her arm, Bertha feels her sense of “bliss” flare up once more and takes this as confirmation that Pearl Fulton is feeling the same. Pearl is dressed in silver and, therefore, associated with the moonlight, which is transforming the night outside the dinner party just as Bertha’s love for Pearl is transforming the whole evening for her and making the party seem enchanted. Because Bertha connects people’s external appearance with their internal thoughts, to her, Pearl symbolizes something transformative and enchanting, like Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate l
At that moment Miss Fulton “gave the sign.”
“Have you a garden?” said the cool, sleepy voice. This was so exquisite on her part that all Bertha could do was to obey. She crossed the room, pulled the curtains apart, and opened those long windows. “There!” she breathed. And the two women stood side by side looking at the slender, flowering tree. Although it was so still it seemed, like the flame of a candle, to stretch up, to point, to quiver in the bright air, to grow taller and taller as they gazed—almost to touch the rim of the round, silver moon. How long did they stand there? Both, as it were, caught in that circle of unearthly light, understanding each other perfectly, creatures of another world, and wondering what they were to do in this one with all this blissful treasure that burned in their bosoms and dropped, in silver flowers, from their hair and hands.
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After dinner Pearl asks Bertha if she has a garden. Bertha shows her the pear tree from the window and feels that she and Pearl have a significant connection as they stand at the window together. This moment represents the moment of intimacy that Bertha has been hoping for with Pearl. She believes that Pearl also wants to connect with her and that Pearl’s question about the garden is her own, symbolic way of showing Bertha this. Bertha feels strongly about this moment as it gives her the opportunity both to be alone with Pearl and to show Pearl the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qu
While he looked it up she turned her head towards the hall. And she saw . . . Harry with Miss Fulton's coat in his arms and Miss Fulton with her back turned to him and her head bent. He tossed the coat away, put his hands on her shoulders and turned her violently to him. His lips said: “I adore you,” and Miss Fulton laid her moonbeam fingers on his cheeks and smiled her sleepy smile. Harry's nostrils quivered; his lips curled back in a hideous grin while he whispered: “To-morrow,” and with her eyelids Miss Fulton said: “Yes.”
“Here it is,” said Eddie. “‘Why Must it Always be Tomato Soup?’ So deeply true, don't you feel? Tomato soup is so dreadfully eternal.”
“If you prefer,” said Harry's voice, very loud, from the hall, “I can phone you a cab to come to the door.”
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Harry goes to help Pearl Fulton with her coat as she prepares to leave the party. Bertha takes this as a sign that Harry wants to make amends for being rude to Pearl earlier in the evening. Glancing into the hall, however, Bertha discovers that Pearl and Harry are having an affair and are in the process of arranging a time and place to meet. Harry presents himself as a cool, collected person who is disinterested in beautiful women like Pearl. This illusion is shattered by the revelation that he is having an affair with Pearl. The use of the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum.
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Moonlight Symbol Timeline in Bliss
The timeline below shows where the symbol Moonlight appears in Bliss. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Bliss
...outside with the green dusk and the white petals of the pear tree under the moon.
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...that he could not get the driver to stop the cab and that, in the moonlight, the driver looked sinister and “bizarre.” He says that he saw himself being driven away...
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...and her thoughts keep on returning to the image of the pear tree in the moonlight. She thinks about these things as she watches Pearl peel an orange and her fingers...
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...window and the two women stand and look out at the pear tree under the moon. Bertha thinks the tree looks like a flame, stretching up into the sky, and almost...
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...a connection; bathed in the “circle of unearthly light” coming through the window from the moon. She feels that they are like “creatures” from a different world and that both are...
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...out at the pear tree, which is as “lovely” and “still” as ever under the moon.
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