What caught your attention in Kew Gardens?


One may find it unchallenging to notice incoherence and tediousness when one reads the story of Kew Garden. I am not an exception. Yes, I confusedly asked myself, "What does she think she is doing?" when I could not demystify how a collection of unrelated moments is called a story. I didn't find any logic in this kind of story-telling. Then I refused to understand what she intends to convey from a disconnection. Such as the descriptions of a flower-bed, the movements of a goal-oriented snail, the conversation of a married couple about their past, the disharmonious behaviors of two men, the complicated and nearly senseless dialogue of two elderly women after they scrutinize the older man's back, and the like.


Therefore, I started seeking what stood out in my mind when reading this non-sense. I saw the flowers embellished with a variety of colors and the snail marked with its hard-working attitude. I saw nature rolling in beauty while people are being laid back and not doing what civilized beings are supposed to. Why do they appear so "toneless and monotonous"? What are they talking and behaving so oddly? Is this an irony that, in contrast to the picturesque flower-bed and the laborious snail, human beings are perhaps counter-evolving? In the final paragraph, Oops, Virginia Woolf's mention of "men, women, and children," along with colorful sceneries, as silence-breaking voices confirm that human beings matter in her story. In other words, they are essential factors that fill the garden with "such depth of contentment, such passion of desire," and "such freshness of desire." 


As an offshoot of her confirmation, I realized that it is irrelevant to compare the flowers and snail with people. Confronted with all the external city noises, people feel the need to break some silence, presumably inside themselves. They raise "wordless voices" to find again contentment, passion, and freshness. To illustrate, Simon emerges to tell about his failure to propose to his ex-girlfriend without regret but happiness. In like manner, his wife Eleanor believes that thinking of the past is a way to look for happiness and reality. She remembers forever the first kiss she received twenty years ago, which is the mother of all the kisses throughout her life. Their memories are evidence that they had a memorable past. Simon used to be a shy, innocent boy, having no courage to accept rejection by paying all his attention to his ex-girlfriend's shoe and a dragonfly around them. In the meantime, Eleanor used to be a naive girl, getting embarrassed by physical touch. 


Even the image she mentions, namely "a garden with men and women lying under the trees," evokes an association with Adam and Eve, whose rebellion expresses the youth's passion and desire. In remembrance of their past, the married couple reminds themselves that their presence at some point is real. Thinking of those moments, they are happy that they were a shy boy and an embarrassed girl. Talking about their memories, they do not compromise to be defined by ceaseless sounds from motor omnibuses and Chinese boxes. The sounds might suggest one's career and identity as well. Hence, the snail's constant work and the flowers' breath-taking beauty show that both the flowers and the snail have no experience with the noisy world outside Kew Gardens, unlike the people strolling there.


It is also because of the lack of experience that the flowers and snail might be metaphors for those who do not seek bliss and desire ever. It is bizarre to describe flower leaves as "heart-shaped or tongue-shaped" and a snail as goal-oriented and aware of people in his surroundings. These descriptions make me think that Virginia Woolf has personified the flowers and snail to refer to those who are unconscious of worldly noises and keep working no matter what. 


Besides that, it is satisfying to discover peace and harmony from disharmonious conversations. I don't think that one needs to be intelligent and philosophical when wandering in a park. Isn't it that we usually chit-chat and talk about dogs' poops when taking our dogs for a walk? Similarly, the civilization I mentioned earlier is unnecessary to judge human beings. We are civilized not by talking about philosophy but how happy we are. The happiness is indicated in this story by meaningless conversations and wordless voices. It is okay to make sounds without having any thinking. It is alright that people are immersed in their own thoughts when being together. Just imagine that the young couple continues discussing what's worth sixpence, especially when the man seems materialistic and the woman in love with priceless pleasures. Or else, Eleanor might make a fuss if she minds her husband thinking of his ex-girlfriend while walking with her. Would you expect the story to become interesting in that way?


Comments

  1. Krishnan VenkateshFebruary 24, 2021 at 11:12 AM

    Indeed, why do we need plot or drama at all to have a "story"? We might more fully experience the elements of a story without fixation on some one bold line. In other words, can a story not be structured upon a fixation? -- clearly yes, but then what would be the organizing principle?

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