Death, Love, and Legacy Theme Analysis

“Secrets” suggests that love is the only lasting legacy of a person’s life after their death. In the first scene, as the protagonist sees his Great Aunt Mary on her death bed, he observes how much of her personality has already been lost in her declining health. Though devoutly Catholic, Mary cannot grip the crucifix her family has placed in her hands. And though devoted to keeping her appearance impeccably neat, in death, Mary has “lost all the dignity [the protagonist] knew her to have.” Furthermore, the events of the story revolve around the material remnants of Aunt Mary’s long life: her correspondence and photos, including a picture of her in her youth and a collection of letters from her former lover, John (who later became a monk named Brother Benignus). In life, these objects were important to Aunt Mary, as she guarded them vigilantly in a locked bureau and became very angry when the protagonist invaded her privacy to read John’s letters. But after her death, her belongings lose much of the significance they held while she was alive. While clearing out Aunt Mary’s room, the protagonist’s mother burns all of Aunt Mary’s papers, reducing the traces of her life to ash. And despite her pledge to remember the protagonist’s hurtful invasion of her privacy “until the day she dies,” Aunt Mary is “too far gone to speak” when she dies, rendering her unable to forgive or condemn the protagonist for his disrespectful action. Her disputes, like her personality and her possessions, are lost to death. The only remaining trace of Aunt Mary’s life is in the protagonist’s loving memory of her. After John’s letters burn, the legacy of Mary and John’s relationship still remains in the protagonist’s mind, alongside his fond memories of his “maiden aunt, his teller of tales.” Therefore, the story suggests, love is the only legacy that truly survives death.