Symbolism and Betrayal in 'Flowering Judas'.

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A flowering garden in the spring crafts conceptions of fertility, beauty, and bliss. Certain people are similar to plants: some are functional, others radiate beauty, while the worst are those that kill. Not all plants are welcome such as the purple flowers from the Judas tree that should be kept at bay from the hearts of the tender because of their morbid connotation. The symbolic flowers represent death or betray in literature, as is the example of the character Engino in “Flowering Judas”. Laura in “Flowering Judas” by Anne Kathrine Porter is the seemingly sweet character, but on a deeper analysis, the true intentions of this dynamic character are exposed. Porter conceived the ideas in “Flowering Judas” from her time in Mexico during the …show more content…

Laura has many people who love her, although she denies them. For instance, the suicide of Eugenio internally haunts her as she places guilt on herself for allowing him to die, even though she envies him. As James Walter claims in “Revolution and Time: Laura in ‘Flowering Judas”, “Ironically, the prisoners desire to escape the static and timeless condition that Laura desires to enter”. She misleads the men into thinking they will be safe and happy, even though there are hitmen out for their blood. At the same time, misguided actions crawl into the story as she wishes to be one of them because she cannot find fulfillment in her own …show more content…

She then realizes she will become a betrayer of everything if she cannot change her ways because she cannot commit to any ideal, purpose, or person. The Judas tree is synonymous with the biblical character, Judas, who hanged himself in the purple tree. The flowers on the tree represent distrust and danger. Laura gives a young suitor a flower from her Judas tree hoping he will leave her alone, but instead he’s proud of the gift (Page 315).The flower in his hat eventually withers down to a dead shell of what was supposed to be love but expresses lies. Her actions symbolize she did not truly want him to pursue her. The miscommunication may not have been intentional on the surface, but her subconscious mind allowed her to, once again, delude her true intentions behind well-meaning actions.
The allusions to the bible, the symbolism in nature, and the sardonic characterization of Laura wrap into the central theme of a beautiful lady on the outside, corruptly deceiving the world. With these elements of duplicity in “Flowering Judas” portraying Laura as a great false saint, she ironically is sinful by a Cristian definition with Braggioni as her God. Relatedly, while lavender, violets, hydrangeas are beautiful, be aware of the ominous plants with a secretly evil nature stemming from the Judas tree. People are like a springtime garden, some are pretty

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