The Secrets of a Fire King
by Kim Edwards
The Prayers of a Measuring Cup
Literary Interpretation in the Age of the Search Engine
 At first, I was stumped by the task of interpreting the title story in
The Secrets of a Fire King. But then I fired up my trusty web browser and went off in search of key words and phrases from the story.
The results were enlightening, to say the least.
Fire-King, of course, is a line of sturdy (and now collectible) glassware manufactured by the Anchor Hocking company of Lancaster, Ohio—now a subsidiary of Newell, Inc. In addition to tableware, the Fire-King line included hot- and cold-proof measuring cups! (Both a 1-cup and a 4-cup version were manufactured, each stamped “Fire-King” in large, bright red letters.)
What better real-world metaphor for the protagonist in this story than a heat-resistant, transparent vessel used for measurement!?!
One more search on the web proves the analogy beyond doubt. You will remember that the colleague who passes the young girl’s note to the Fire King is named, of all things, Phillipa! Why, what could be more significant and confirming? (It is probably even significant that the messenger was dressed as a butterfly ... in the context of this story, how delightful it is to know that the brimstone butterfly is an early indicator of the onset of spring—i.e., “rebirth”!)
I also learned from the web that a secret, in a secondary meaning, is the prayer said in a low voice by the celebrant at the end of the Offertory (and before the Preface) in the Roman Liturgy. How better to describe the Fire King’s final thoughts in the story?
As it was. ... As it is. As it ever shall be.
Indeed, those are (almost) exactly the words of one of the world’s most popular prayers—referred to simply as “Glory Be” and an integral part of the Catholic Rosary ritual.
Thus, it can easily be seen that the title of the story refers not to the methods and practices of a calloused, fire-eating juggler, but rather to the prayers of a fallen soul who did not measure up!
And that’s not all ...
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