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Snow Queen: The Old Woman's Garden-Flower Talk

© Mary C. Legg

In comparison, Gerda began her journey by casting away her new red shoes. Although the gesture is foolish, the reader sympathises with someone so selfless as to endure discomfort in hopes of recovering a lost love. And although, the old woman seems to be quite kind and compassionate to Gerda, she is cruel. Through deception, Gerda comes to believe that Kay is dead. Nothing can be much moer cruel than this. It ranks among the top ploys of extracting information out of a prisoner under torture and rendering a person to a zombie state.

The selflessness of Gerda is further contrasted with the stories of the flowers who are filled with self-admiration. Each is absorbed in its own small story. The Tiger-Lily sees itself as a martyr, the Convolvulus winds itself about a fantasy readily found in immature romances that idealize love as the waiting princess on a balcony. Gerda has no patience for this. She is practical and recognizes the limitation of time; she is also aggressive in her endeavor. Goals are not won by dreaming about them in airy ways. The epitome of inhumane callousness, though, is found in the Hyacinth, who repeats its story like the knell of a funeral bell and then snaps at Gerda, "We do not tolling for little Kay-we don't know him; we only sing our song, the only one we know."

Although the garden is well-ordered and flowers beautiful, there is no compassion among there. The narcissim wears away Gerda's patience. When she brushes against the Jonquil-daffodil or narcissus-her patience ends. Bending over to catch the words in hope of discovering some information regarding her lost friend, she hears,

"I can see myself! I can see myself!"

The Jonquil is immersed in absurd fascination with its own image. Of all the flowers in the garden, only the Roses have some relevant response. The imagery fits: roses have thorns. Love brings pain into the beloved's life. Without pain, there is no real love; without love, there is also no deep pain. Asleep under the ground, they have not seen him and so assume that Kay must still be among the living on earth, offering small hope to Gerda.

Remaining within the garden is not for Gerda, regardless of the easy life and the eternal joys of spring. Yearning to confront reality and overcome life's obstacles to achieve her goal, she breaks out. She leaves with no shoes and nothing in hand but hope. Regardless of the length or harshness of the journey, she is determined to find Kay and bring him back into the world she understands and sees as beautiful. Her love will sustain her through all perils. She has no real selfish interest and she puts the welfare of her beloved above her own. She is the ideal of romantic love, the idealist who lives for a dream and the peole who give themselves to their professions for a higher cause.