“The Vegetational Fatherhood” was by far one of the most bizarre stories I have ever read. However, I have come up with a few explanations/interpretations:
1. The young woman represents the Virgin Mary in which not man but “nature” impregnates the young woman, therefore making her rose bush-transforming daughter a representation of Jesus.
2. If the daughter is a representation of Jesus, then Dr. Floris Rosenberger is a representation of the Romans, those who are believed to have killed Jesus since it was Dr. Rosenberger who killed his wife (whether intentional or not).
3. The mother is locked away in an asylum, representing the general belief of the pubic about Mary in reference to her miraculous conception.
As you can see, there can be an extreme religious undertone to this story, or like Ekbert the Blond, I could have just made this all up.
This is really interesting! I never would have thought to connect the story in this way. But I'm not sure if I agree entirely with your interpretation. It doesn't seem like the birth of the child is a miraculous conception as the passage goes into detail describing the rose's transformation and the "rape" that takes place. Also after what we've discussed about the Romantic period and the literary fairy tales it doesn't seem as if this type of symbolism would tie into what these writer's did. But still I definetly see the connection you make, but am just not sure if it lines up exactly.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting interpretation you have put together! The story is probably missing a few elements to solidify your argument, but I am definately not one to argue about plot holes. Here is a different interpretation though: Its the cycle of reincarnation. The flower dies, a new flower grows, and then it dies too.
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