49 pages • 1 hour read
Kate MortonThe Forgotten Garden
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2008A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Fairy Tales Mirroring Reality
Fairy tales function both as a motif and a plot device in the novel. Eliza’s published book is packed in Ivory’s white suitcase. When Nell receives the case after Hugh’s death, the physical book provides a clue to the identity of her family. The tales were written by her mother and the illustrations drawn by her father. Nell is led to Cliff Cottage because she’s begun searching for the author of the volume.
In addition to the book’s function as a map leading Nell to Cliff Cottage, specific stories within the book offer a commentary on events in the characters’ lives. “The Crone’s Eyes” parallels Cassandra’s quest to restore Nell’s vision because she has lost sight of her past. “The Changeling” was written as a birthday gift for Rose and is a veiled commentary on Adeline’s overprotectiveness toward her daughter: She wishes to keep Rose caged as an invalid, never to lead a normal life.
“The Golden Egg” expresses Eliza’s grief over parting with her daughter. Even though Rose will lead a happy life because of Ivory’ presence, Eliza’s life is diminished by the child’s absence. The “Cuckoo’s Flight” isn’t quoted fully in the novel, but its conclusion is described by Christian and paraphrased by Eliza just as she throws herself from a moving carriage to reunite with her daughter. The title itself is a veiled reference to the nesting habits of cuckoos. These birds deposit their eggs in the nests of other birds just as Eliza deposited Ivory in Rose’s arms.
Picture Clues
Visual images, such as photos, sketches, or paintings, are a recurring motif in the novel. Initially, the adult Nell sees an image of Eliza on the front cover of her book of fairy tales. This triggers a memory from Ivory’s past that ultimately leads Nell to Europe. In the Tate Gallery, Nell finds a painting of Eliza. She accidentally spies an image of the woman she believes is her mother—Rose. This clue leads her to research Nathaniel Walker, which in turn leads her to glimpse one of his mother-and-child paintings in which she recognizes herself. At a much later point in the book, she finds one of Linus’ photos of Eliza. Cassandra follows a similar path of visual breadcrumbs. When Ben tells her about the original sketches for the illustrations in Eliza’s book, Cassandra travels to London to see them. She is also intrigued by the photo of Cliff Cottage that Ben shows to her when she inherits it.
The visual art motif is reinforced by Nathaniel’s profession as an artist and Linus’ hobby as an amateur photographer. Rose insists on weekly portraits from Nathaniel as a proof of his devotion. Although Georgiana doesn’t dislike being photographed by Linus, both her daughter and granddaughter do. Little Ivory feels uncomfortable when Linus tries to pose her with Georgiana’s broken doll. Eliza proves even more resistant: Linus must resort to skulking around the maze to capture her unawares, and she even dislikes Nathaniel sketching her for the book.
Magical Gardens
Linus tempts Eliza by giving her the walled garden next to Cliff Cottage. She immediately sets about improving the plantings until it resembles a setting from one of her fairy stories. Little Ivory perceives the garden as a place of magic on her first visit: “The Authoress was magical. Witch or fairy, she wasn’t sure, but Ivory knew the Authoress wasn’t a person like any other she’d seen before” (452).
Eliza is one of the few people who know how to successfully navigate the daunting maze that leads to the walled garden. Only Davies the gardener and, later, Nathaniel can find their way to the cottage using that route. As a boy, Linus becomes hopelessly lost and needs to be rescued from the maze. The implicit conclusion is that he has no magic inside to guide him. Adeline finds her way through the maze using trickery when she seeks to steal to the cottage unseen. She feels animosity toward the walled garden and wants to destroy its vegetation. Ironically, one of its rose bushes kills her through blood poisoning. A century later, Cassandra and Christian try to restore the walled garden to its previous beauty. For them, it contains a different sort of magic. It is the place where they fall in love with each other.
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