Response to “Dearth”

This chapter mainly focuses on the relationship between the potatoes and the woman. The main object that I want to discuss and analyze in this article is the nasturtium seeds.

The first time that the nasturtium seeds appeared in the article is the woman saw seven potatoes growing in the oven. At that moment, she was a little frightened and wanted to ignore them so she went to jab the dirt with a spade. Here the author mentioned that the woman bordered her house with nasturtium seeds. Nasturtium seeds generally stand for hope and love. But when she plants those seeds surrounding her house, she is preventing herself from exotic love and hurt. This suggests that she repulses those potatoes at that very instant.

Then the nasturtium seeds appeared the second time when the woman saw the neighbor kissing with her latest suitor in armful of red roses. She was trembling and upset. Then the author pointed out the woman watered the nasturtium seeds. There is a signal that the woman is desperate for love simultaneously she experiences loneliness and the absence of love. When her neighbor is in love, she holds the hope and desire for love at the moment she is watering the seeds.

The third time the nasturtium seeds appeared was the woman buried two of the human-shaped potatoes beneath the seeds. Since six potatoes could not fit in the pot, she buries two of them beneath the hibernating nasturtium seeds. This stands for her hope and love for the potatoes. On the occasion, she wants the potatoes healed by the seeds just like she once did.