Bell, Book and Candle Notes

The narrator is 3rd person omniscient.

Bell, Book and Candle adds a whiff of spells, witchcraft, and romance from the recent and remote past. It means for Arlene to close her book and quench the candle to avoid the fire. Or make a spell to do the same.

The Bible quote is used to introduce the candle, bell jar (candlestick) and box (bushel) and to set the stage for more Biblical references later.

The fiery furnace reference is from the Bible and from Barton Fink 1991, a film she often mentioned.

Bell is from the fire truck. The fire department is how we deal with Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace in the modern world.

Bell, Book and Candle is the medieval spell to excommunicate Christians. It is used by modern witches to cast spells as in the Bell, Book and Candle play and film.

Old and new language is mixed. The florid and formal with low register and the intimate. The formal language creates absurdity in a new colloquial setting of mistakes and an ambivalence toward Arlene. 'Lady' sets us off on that path with a dual old and new meaning.

British spelling harks back to witch times. The cat is associated with witches and hides under a bushel which is mentioned in the Bible verse.

Arlene is Jewish. The 'J' is the Jewish Center. 

Bell jar is a Sylvia Plath reference.

The EPA regulation is a modern counterpart of a Biblical passage.

It's not entirely logical.

The fire didn't cause, but may have marked the onset of Arlene's ALS.