Flowering Judas Literary Analysis

The spring crafts conceptions of fertility, beauty, and bliss. People are similar to plants: some are practical, others radiate beauty, while the worst are those that kill. Not all shrubberies are welcome, such as the purple flowers of the Judas tree. These beautiful, yet morbid, flowers should be kept at bay from the hearts of the tender because of their sinister connotation. Theses budding beauties symbolize death or betrayal in literature, as is the example of the character Engino in “Flowering Judas” by Anne Kathrine Porter; his hands are greedily eaten by Laura in a dream. Themes of betrayal and no perfect idea are achievable, even love, and are asserted through a powerful central character; she embodies a cynical nature and mock-holy …show more content…
The only scene, in reality, is between Laura and Braggioni sitting in her bedroom. Braggioni is a leader of the revolution and a superior to Laura as he gives her board, food, and ideas about Marxism. The plot of the story consists entirely inside Laura’s mind as she walks through a typical day of slipping into a church now and then, teaching school children, and visiting prisoners to comfort them while gaining valuable information. Laura also reminisces on past suitors she has denied, and the relationship between Braggioni and his wife. The story concludes with a haunting dream about Eugino guiding Laura through a desolate landscape; she devours his hands made out of flowers as he leads her, which results in her in waking up shouting “No” …show more content…
Laura has many people who love her, but she denies them as seen most prevalently through pensive Eugenio. The suicide of Eugenio is suggested to internally haunt her, as she places guilt on herself for allowing him to die. However, she envies him as James Walter claims with “ironically, the prisoner's desire to escape the static and timeless condition that Laura desires to enter,” after visiting with the men in jail. 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, the characterization of her misguided actions crawls into the story because she wishes to find fulfillment in her own life. The men in the prison are assumed to have found a fervent passion, as they would even go to jail or die for their cause. This then explains why Laura wakes up shouting “no” after realizing her subconscious need for love the revolution has not provided her with. Her night terror is the hidden guilt she harbors from allowing Engino to commit suicide. Indeed, indirect statements characterize Laura because the inferences provide evidence to Laura’s moral character, otherwise unnoticed in her external