Ivy (The Pretext)

Ivy is a well-known plant which grows in a lot of places. It is “a climbing plant […] with dark green shiny leaves with five points” (Hornby, 2015, p. 837). Ivy grows as vines on walls or structures or on the ground. It grows very fast and can be planted outdoors as well as indoors. There are different types of ivy and most of them can grow in different climate zones. Generally, the leaves of ivy are evergreen, lobed and grow alternately along the vine. The shape, the size and the color vary depending on the species of ivy. It is a plant of the genus Hedera (Types of Ivy, 2021).

In “The Pretext” the walls of Lord Askern’s place, Guise Abbey, in Wiltshire are “ivy-draped” (Lewis, 1968, p. 637). Ivy is often used as a symbol for close human relationships and for stability. In more detail it can be a symbol for friendship, love and close familiar relationships (Butzer and Jacob, 2008, p. 72). In connection with the place where it grows in the short story it is a fitting interpretation. Guise Abbey is the place where Guy Dawnish spent his boyhood (Lewis, 1968, p. 637). He always had his family and friends around him and grew up in a protected environment which is even more clarified through the ivy-draped walls.

Sources:

Butzer, G.; Jacob, J. (2008). MetzlerLexikon literarischer Symbole. Stuttgart: J.B. Metzler.

Hornby, A. S. (2015). Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Lewis, R. W. B. (1968). The Collected Short Stories of Edith Wharton. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

“Types of Ivy“. Leafy Place, 2021, https://leafyplace.com/types-of-ivy/. Accessed June 3, 2021.