Discussion Topic

Themes in Paul Fleischman's "Seedfolks"

Summary:

The main themes in Paul Fleischman's Seedfolks include community, diversity, and transformation. The novel highlights how a vacant lot in a diverse urban neighborhood is transformed into a community garden, bringing together people from various backgrounds. Through their shared efforts, the characters experience personal growth, connection, and a renewed sense of hope and belonging.

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What is the theme of Paul Fleischman's "Seedfolks"?

The overriding theme of "Seedfolks" is the power of the individual to effect good in a society.  Related themes include the challenge of community and the healing aspect of working with the land.

The story is centered around an informal urban garden, where individuals go to plant a variety of things for a variety of reasons.  The planters include a refugee from war and victims of social isolation and economic downturn, and although at first the characters may seem insignificant, they each have a story to tell and a contribution to make to the garden, and, in a larger sense, the world.  Ana, a retired white woman, provides the others with a sense of the history of the neighborhood, while Gonzalo shows how vitally important language is enabling newcomers to become independent and provide for themselves.  Sam, a character modeled after the author himself, works to help the planters see the danger in segregating themselves from others according to their differences.  In the haven of the little clearing of land, individuals learn to interact with each other, and as the garden grows, a community is formed, with the benefits and challenges that go with it.  The characters subtly discover an escape from isolation in the company of others and in redeveloping a closeness to the earth.

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What is a theme in Seedfolks?

One of the major themes of Seedfolks is that out of something ugly, something beautiful can grow.  This theme is not only seen through the physical growth of the garden but also through the emotional and personal growth of the neighborhood surrounding the garden. Before the first beans were planted, the people in the Gibb St. neighborhood were isolated from each other physically and emotionally.  Their differences kept them apart because they were from various ethnic backgrounds. They just existed together in this urban setting not really knowing each other or caring about each other.

The work done in the community garden by characters like Kim, Leona, Gonzalo, and Tio Juan brings everyone out of isolation in their homes to form friendships built on a common goal. Working towards the success of the garden not only makes their environment beautiful, but it helps grow friendships and understanding. 

So, out of a trash filled vacant lot that surrounds their homes, a new environment of acceptance, compassion, and pride metaphorically “grows” as a theme in Seedfolks.

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