Mathilde's Brimtone And Marmalade Sparknotes

Vishruth Pesala Dr. Hancock Literary Explorations II 03/11/24.

Mathilde’s Growth and the Importance of Someone Reliable “Brimstone and Marmalade” by Aaron Corwin is a beautifully written short story about the growth and development of a little girl named Mathilde and how her demon pet, Ix’thor, affects her. We see many instances of growth and a change in mindset as the story progresses, along with changes in Mathilde’s relationship with Ix’thor. More specifically, Corwin reveals the relationship between Mathilde and Ix’thor, and its unexpected occurrence, in the passage “It rained a lot in the fall. . EXCELLENT.” Corwin also displays the importance of having something or someone to rely on through Ix’thor and shows Mathilde's maturity in handling the situation throughout
She said, “Mom says I can’t have limitless power until I’m older. But you can have a grub soul.”(Corwin). This is a bit surprising because Mathilde is a younger child. In times of trouble or sadness, younger children can be easily influenced by those around them. However, this is not the case with Mathilde. She seems experienced with dealing with Ix’thor’s demands and responds that Ix’thor can have a grub-like soul. In situations of powerlessness, whether being bullied or not being able to do something, younger children are more prone to doing something wild or crazy. Mathilde shows her maturity by acknowledging that she can’t have ‘limitless power’ until she gets older. She has also lost her stubbornness, which was shown towards the beginning of the story. She adapts easily to the situation and quickly gets over the incident with Ix’thor’s help. Another example is that many kids can’t tell the difference between jokes and serious topics when both are told in the same tone. Ix’thor never appears to change his tone of voice throughout the majority of the passage and story, yet Mathilde can effortlessly tell what parts of his speech