Britt-Marie Was Here

“Britt-Marie’s rugs and Britt-Marie’s memories have a lot in common in that sense: they are both very difficult to wash.”

Britt-Marie is fastidious and thorough in everything she does, from housework to her marriage. Just because Kent—and many other people in her life—have treated her as brainless and silenced her opinions does not mean she neither sees nor thinks. She is aware of Kent’s vulgarity, rudeness, and indiscretions; she feigns ignorance to keep the peace.

“Faxin is Britt-Marie’s brand of window-cleaner. It’s even better than baking soda. She doesn’t feel like a fully fledged human being unless she has a more-or-less full bottle at the ready. No Faxin? Anything could happen in such a situation.”

Britt-Marie originally discovered Faxin in a newspaper ad that read, “FAXIN LETS YOU SEE THE WORLD” (36). This ad establishes Faxin as the physical representation of Britt-Marie’s worldview. The quote above emphasizes how important Faxin becomes to her—no other cleaner, and therefore perspective, can replace it. In this way, Britt-Marie both repeats her desire to exist and rejects other, more domineering viewpoints, like that of Kent. Ironically, it is not until Britt-Marie no longer needs Faxin that she is able to venture to Paris and actually “see the world.”

“[Britt-Marie says,] ‘I want a job because I actually don’t think it’s very edifying to disturb the neighbors with bad smells. I want someone to know I’m here.’”

Britt-Marie fears death because of childhood trauma. At the same time, she also fears dying alone and neglected, as much of her life was spent alone and neglected by her family and her husband. Therefore, Britt-Marie desires work not for the money, but for valued human connection.