Wistaria

Wistaria

The reason "Wistaria is often times used at weddings and as a symbol of marriage is because of the meaning of the word. Like the wistaria clings to buildings, the married couple clings to each other. However, Mrs. Mantsey lost her husband and has no one to cling to. Mrs. Mantsey was married but her husband died seventeen years before the story took place. Knowing this, the sentence, "Soon the wistaria would bloom, then the horse-chestnut; but not for her" is pretty sad. The use of this flower and the previous sentence makes Mrs. Mantsey a much more tragic character. Once a married women, she now sits alone with no real purpose or someone to care for. Maybe the Wistaria once did bloom for her, but no longer.

Clare Gibson

http://mrssymbols.blogspot.com/2011/04/wistful-wisteria.html

Tim Bontempi