Matilda often made others surprised and astounded with her lies and enjoyed this nature. Her aunt, who brought up Matilda since childhood, was a decent lady who extended much regard for truthfulness. Therefore, she always tries to take what Matilda tells as the truth. But, there were instances she too fell in trouble when she believed these lies. It is evident that her aunt, too, had not discovered this inferiority or weakness that Matilda showed in her character.
One evening while her aunt was away from home, she was tired of playing and felt much loneliness. So, she tiptoed to the telephone and called the London Noble Fire Brigade, and she asked them to come immediately as her house was on fire. Within an hour, the fire brigade arrived, and they rounded up the place which was said to be on fire. Hearing the approach of the Fire Brigade, people flocked around with violent excitement. The firefighters quickly got into the ladders and peeped into the rooms through windows. There was much hubble-bubble. The next moment, Matilda’s aunt interfered and showed the firefighters there was no need for their service as there was no fire at home. However, she had to pay for them.
A few weeks later, Aunty left home for the theatre to watch an exciting play, “The Second Mrs Tanqueray”, but she refused to take her niece merely because the former wanted to punish her for telling lies. That night, a fire broke out. Matilda got scared as she was far from help, so she started shouting and crying loudly. She opened the windows and called the people passing by. The heat inside the house rapidly increased, so the poor girl was compelled to seek help from outside. But, it was in vain. Every time she cried “fire !” “fire !” the people outside responded. “Little liar !” Finally, by the time her aunt returned, Matilda and her house had been burnt down.
In this poem, ‘Matilda’, the poet brings the character Matilda to convey how she became a fire victim as compensation for telling lies. The poet takes it as a practice of lousy human quality to cheat or embarrass other people by fabricating lies, and he points out she ultimately repents for her guilt. The ethical phenomenon is here presented humorously. A common feature in Belloc’s poetry is that he focuses on human weaknesses and sarcastically criticizes them. In this poem, too, he has been confined to such a theme. For this poem, he has fabricated Matilda’s character.
“Matilda told such dreadful lies
It made one gasp and stretch one’s eyes”
This part is a definition to describe Mathilda’s character in a nutshell. The poem commences with this definition. The poet uses the word ‘dreadful’ to estimate the seriousness of her lies and how others would be affected by them. She could be stubborn and obstinate that she is not worried about the after-effects of her lies. But, one can say or argue that it was her ‘wild desire’ to see how others fall in embarrassment. The poet describes how other people were illusioned by her lies, using the words and phrases,
“Gasp”
“Stretch one’s eyes”
Taking Matilda as a little child, the poet brings some psychological approach to her character.
“Matilda, growing tired of play
And finding she was lift alone”
As a child, she intends to enjoy others’ association, but she cannot bear the loneliness in her life. The poet brings an excuse for Matilda’s state of telling lies that she is more interested in drawing up the attention of others by playing. She does not consider the destructive risks of the mischief. Instead, she wants to play on the gullibility of others.
However, the poet invokes the sense of morality in the second incident when the little girl experienced a fire at home; it was she who had to pay for her stubbornness.
“……….. Matilda shout!
You should have seen her scream and bawl”
The poet also tries to demonstrate how she became excited and scared. She becomes wild in her effort to seek assistance from the outside world.
“And throw the window up and call
To people passing in the street”
Her indiscipline suddenly vanishes, and she becomes “poor Matilda.”
“The rapidly increasing heat………..”
This part further enhances the agitated mentality of Matilda. Now, she is in a terrible danger that she has to pay for her life.