The Gardener Summary And Important Questions

The Gardener

-Rudyard Kipling

The Gardener Summary

The story “The Gardener” was written by a British writer Rudyard Kipling. In this story, the writer shows his hatred for the shallowness of feelings and love for the depth and purity of individual feelings.

Hellen Turrel was an unmarried girl of 35 years old. When she was pregnant, she was ashamed of the society and went to the south of France to deliver the child. After she returned back to England, She told her villagers quite a number of lies. She told them that the child was the son of her brother, George Turrel, who was an inspector of Indian police and had died of following off his horse. She also told the villagers that she had gone to the south of France to treat her lung problem and the child had been brought to France by a nurse whom she had to dismiss because of her carelessness.

The child was baptized (named) as Michael. She told him that she was his aunty and he could call her mummy only at bedtimes.

When Michael was 10 years old he was told at his school that he had been born outside marriage. He asked Hellen about this but she only stammered. As Michael grew up, he developed his own interest but his interest in Helen was constant. At twelve he had measles and high fever then Hellen promised to him that nothing in the world could make any difference between them.

When Michael reached 15, he joined the army. It was the time of first world war, while his battalion was in England, he didn’t have to do much fighting. Later on, his battalion was transferred to France. In France also luck favored his battalion. He wrote Hellen a letter saying that there was nothing to worry about but a month after he had written to Helen he was killed by an exploding shell. Another shell buried his body on the sand. Hellen was informed that Michael had been missing in the war. She thought he might have been killed in the war. After the war had been over Hellen was informed that the dead body of Michael was found and reburied in Hagenzeele military cemetery in Belgium.

Hellen gathered all the information required for her journey to the Hagenzeele military cemetery in Belgium. On the way to the cemetery, she had to stay at a hotel. Where she met Mrs. Scars Worth. She told Hellen that she had been visiting the cemetery for her neighbors who couldn’t visit it themselves. She would take photographs of those graves and give them to her neighbors.

At late-night, Mrs.Scars Worth entered the room of Hellen in the hotel and told her that she had been telling lies for the last 6 years. She couldn’t continue with her lies any longer. She also revealed that she had been visiting the grave of her lover for the last 6 years.

The next morning Hellen visited the cemetery. There were thousands of black crosses that all looked similar. She couldn’t find out the grave of Michael. Just then a man approached her and asked her what she was looking for. Then Hellen replied to him that she was looking for the grave of her nephew but he told her that he would show where her son lived. She visited the grave of her son Michael and returned back supposing the strange man to be the gardener.

Some Important Questions And Answers From “The Gardener”

Question. What is the relation between Helen and Michael?

Answer. Helen Turrel and Michael are mother and son. She tells all the villagers lies regarding their relationship in order to stop spread all the rumours regarding her scandals in the village.

After she was pregnant she went to France to deliver her child. After returning back to her village she told the villagers a number of lies like, the child is the son of her brother who was an inspector of Indian police and had died of following off his horse.

Helen tells Michael that he is allowed to tell her Mummy during the night, all the other time he had to say her auntie. Also, Michael’s heredity matches with the Turell’s family. Thus, all these details prove that they both are mother and son.

Question. Why does not Helen expose that Michael is her son? Explain Briefly. Or Why does Helen Turrell tell lies to her neighbours about her son?

Answer. Helen Turrel told lies to her neighbours about her son because of her social obligation. Helen was an unmarried woman of 35, society would not accept an unmarried woman giving a child. She was a woman with an illegitimate son to bring up. So, due to this social fear, Helen never exposed her relationship with the child.

Question. How do you know who Gardener really is? Write with a clear explanation ‘Who the Gardener could be?’

Answer. After Michael reached 15 he joined the army. It was a time of World War I where he died fighting with his battalion. After the war had been over Hellen was informed that the dead body of Michael was found and reburied in Hagenzeele military cemetery in Belgium. After the body was found she went to the Hagenzeele military cemetery in Belgium to meet her son’s grave. After Hellen went to the cemetery she could not find Michael’s one as there were 1000’s of the cemetery. Soon a man approached her and asked what she was looking for. Hellen replied that she was looking for her Nephew’s cemetery. But the man said that he would show her where her son’s grave was.

By this statement, we can say that the gardener was Hellen’s lover and Michael’s father. Though the man literally looks like a gardener, he was affected by Hellen’s approach. Besides he says “son’ instead of “Nephew” so we could conclude that the gardener was Helen’s lover.

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Also Read:

THE RECURRING DREAM
THE LOST DOLL
THE HOUSE CALL
FEAR
THE LOVING MOTHER
MY HEART LEAPS UP WHEN I BEHOLD
SPEAKING OF CHILDREN
LOOK AT THE TEACUP
A WORN PATH
THE THREE DAY BLOW
THE POPLAR FIELD
THE NIGHTMARE LIFE WITHOUT FUEL
UNCHOPPING A TREE
KEEPING THINGS WHOLE
CONCRETE CAT
OOPS! HOW’S THAT AGAIN?
MALINI
THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN
ON THE VANITY OF EARTHLY GREATNESS
IN BED

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