The Horror Film

In thinking through her relationship with her deceased aunt, the speaker imagines that she is like a character in a horror film who encounters a portrait of an old relative on the wall, only to realize that they are wearing the same necklace. This setting is entirely fictional, but likely recognizable as a film trope with which most readers will be familiar. This setting helps reframe the speaker's mother's earlier assertion that the spirit of Jane "lives on" in the speaker: rather than an affirming or comforting feeling, the speaker imagines her connection with Jane is more akin to a haunting.

The Kitchen

At the end of the poem, the speaker remembers how her grandfather has, all her life, referred to her as Jane. She paints a picture of him in the kitchen, announcing to her that he will have a second cup of coffee. This...