Incident in a Rose Garden

by Donald Justice

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Student Question

In "Incident in a Rose Garden," what do the roses represent and how do they relate to the motif of Death?

Quick answer:

In "Incident in a Rose Garden," the roses symbolize the natural cycle of life and death. The presence of Death in the rose garden highlights the inevitability of death within the natural order. While the garden is beautiful, its beauty is transient, reflecting the seasonal nature of life. Just as roses wither and die with the changing season, so too do human beings face mortality, reinforcing the motif of Death's universal dominion.

Expert Answers

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The rose garden represents many things, here is an excerpt from the enotes:

The fact that Death appears in the rose garden underscores the place of death in the order of the natural world. He not only encounters the Gardener there but the Master as well, emphasizing that death’s dominion is nature itself. A rose garden is a place of great beauty, but that beauty is seasonal. When the season changes, the roses wither and die. So, too, with human beings.

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