THE GARDENER

- Rudyard Kipling
 Author
•Rudyard Kipling(1865-1936), British poet, novelist and writer of
short stories was born in India , and set many of his writing in the
India of the Raj.
•He is remembered for his tales for children, stories notably The jungle
book.
•He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1907.
•The Gardener belonging to the later years of his life is taken from
Debits and Credits (1926).
 “
“Words are, of course the most powerful drug used by mankind.”

“God could not be everywhere ,and therefore he made mothers”

“I always prefer to see the best of everybody, it saves so much trouble.”

“Take everything you like seriously, expect yourself.”
-Rudyard Kipling

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 Characters present in the story
Helen Turrell Leading character

A child (Michael) So called Helen’s Nephew

George Turrell So called Michael’s Father

The gardener A very mysterious man who reveals the truth

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 Setting
The story took place in the homeland of Helen
Turrell , Hampshire, south of France , India
( past) and then Hagenzeele.

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 symbolism
‐ This story is full of symbols like:

Bomboy, India --------- Birthplace of Michael.

Hampshire,France ------------- homeland of Helen Turrell.
Oxford ---------------- university he was supposed to join after high school
A Battalion------------ An army unit he joined refusing to study in Oxford.
A shell splinter--------- A weapon that killed Michael.
Hagenzeele third military cementery-------- A place where his dead body was buried.
Hagenzeele-----------Residence of Hagenzeele third military cementery
An English woman ---- who accompanied Helen when she left for Hazenzede
The gardener-------- one who showed Michael’s grave and claimed that its his son.

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 Scene-2
After that she allowed him to say so only at bedtimes. the child became angry
with her and threatened to hurt her by dying soon.
The child was named Michael, fearless, philosophical and fairly good looking.
At the age of six, he got to find that Helen was not her real mother but his aunt.
She did not allow Michael to call her mummy because she was unmarried.
After that she allowed him to say so only at bedtimes.
The child became angry with her and threatened to hurt her by dying soon.

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 First scene of the story( according to Helen)
‐ According to the Helen’s clarification, , the child was brought from India where
her father was a police officer.
‐ The villagers of Hampshire believe Michael( a child) to be an unfortunate son
of Helen’s late brother, George Turrell and his beloved( not wife).
‐ According to Helen, he was born in Bombay with the help of a nurse, the child
was brought in France from Bombay. Helen had lung trouble and in order to
regain health she had been staying in the south of France.
‐ The nurse was careless, so Helen had dismissed the nurse. There was no one left
to take care of the child. Helen brought him to her home in Hampshire..
‐ Helen used to call her nephew.
 she told to
villagers and
michael was a
reality or a
lie????
Upcoming scenes will reveal a
different reality. And there will
be a new twist in the story.

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 Scene-3( courses of time)
 Michael got maturity in due course of time but his interest in Helen was
constant and increasing throughout.
 Though Helen wanted him to join Oxford University, he took war as his
career.
 He joined the army when first world war was started.
 Michael was killed by splinter shell explosion.
 Helen got to find that Michael was dead .
 After full verification about the message, she decided to leave that place
to see his grave in Hazenzeelein the third Military Cemetery.

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 Scene-4( meeting an english woman)
She left for Hazenzeelein the third Military Cemetery to see
michael’s grave.
She met an English woman, Mrs. Scarsworth in a teashop, 3
km away from cemetery.
They stopped by and Mrs. Scarsworth reveals that she had
come to see the grave of her secret lover.
Helen told that she came to see the grave of her nephew.
Next Morning she walked alone toward the grave.
She was searching for a grave of Michael.

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 death of Michael!!!
And now there will
be an entry of the
gardener who will
reveals the truth
suprisingly!!!

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 Last scene (the gardener)
There in a graveyard when she was searching for the grave, she saw a man
knelt behind a line of headstones- evidently a gardener.
He did not introduce her neither did he salute her.
He asked who she was looking for.
She said it was Lieutenant Michael Turrell , her nephew.
He had infinite compassion in his expression and eyes and said he would
show her where her SON lay.
She went away supposing him to be a gardener when she left the cemetery.

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 “
The gardener, a mysterious character appears at the end of the story to
reveal the reality that was hidden by Helen about the relationship between
her and Michael.
He was appeared creating a drastic turn in a story creating confusion
among the readers.

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 The reality (1)
Everything she told about the Michael, her relationship
with him, how he was brought here was turn out to be false
at last after the gardener’s words.

She might have created the false story about him as she
might be condemned in the society.

She even made michael believe that he is her nephew

concealing the truth.
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 The reality (2)
To tell the truth, Helen was unmarried.
In fact Helen and Michael were mother and son.
The incident that she told to villager about the death of his
brother( Michael’s father) was all lie just to keep the villager silent and to
prevent from being condemned in the society.
 she even lied to Mrs scarsworth that she was going to see her nephew’s
grave
She told lie to the gardener too.
But at last the mysterious gardener who seems to be a incarnation of
god reveals the truth at last with a simple words “come with me and I
will show you where your son lies”
 The reality(3)
To tell the truth, Helen was unmarried.
In fact Helen and Michael were mother and son.
The incident that she told to villager about the death of his
brother( Michael’s father) was all lie just to keep the villager silent and to
prevent from being condemned in the society.
 she even lied to Mrs scarsworth that she was going to see her nephew’s
grave
She told lie to the gardener too.
But at last the mysterious gardener who seems to be a incarnation of
god reveals the truth at last with a simple words “come with me and I
will show you where your son lies”
 The reality(4) At a glance.
According to thorough interpretation of this story, Helen Turrell was a
thirty five years old independent young woman who fell in love with a
man of low social status and she became pregnant. Frightened with
criticism of the society , she created the false story (scene 1,2) that her
brother George Turrell had a relationship with the retired non-
commissioned police officer. She gave birth to Michael who died falling
from horse. According to Helen, she goes to France because of her lung
problem. There she manages to bring Michael from India. Her brothers
were not alive to know the truth. So she created this false story to prevent
the criticism of society and to prevent from being condemned in the
society.
 Point of view
 This story is narrated by the writer himself. He chose Helen Turrell, a very
mysterious woman as a leading character. Helen Turrell seems to be hiding a mystery
and a very different reality about her so called Nephew, Michael.

 All the villager had also believed her story that Michael’s parents had died and she
brought him here in Hampshire and reared him as a Nephew.

 But as soon as the Michael joined the Army instead of Oxford, there came a turning
point as Michael was suddenly strangled to death due to splinter shell.
 When she visited the graveyard, there was the gardener who helped her showing the
right graved and claimed that its his son.
 This event suprizingly reveals the reality of Helen.
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 Theme
“The gardener” presents Kipling’s scorn of organized
shallowness of feeling and his conviction of the depth and
purity of individual feelings.

He makes the surprise ending of the story perfectly functional

for his formidably bitter view of the world.

He shows how the society functions including the criticism

,condemn that exist in the society.
He shows a different view of story at last showing the bitter
view of the world.
 Conclusion
 In this story , the writer wants to tell us about the real
relationship between Helen and Michael .
 Helen tells nephew to Michael but in reality they were son and
mother .
 During first world war , Michael joined army and was killed by
exploding .
 Michael’s body was buried in graveyard in Belgium .
 After the end of world war , Helen decided visit her son’s
graveyard because of her deep love towards his son.
 Now in the end of this story , the role of gardener is shown in the
graveyard where Helen went to 21
visit her son’s graveyard .
 Some relevant
Question
What is the real relationship between helen and michael?
Ans : The real relation between Helen and Michael and can be described as close relatives.
Helen Turrell says that her brother George Turrell had a relationship with the daughter of
retired non-commissioned police officer. She also says that before George Terrell’s death,
George gave birth to a child, later on George died falling from a horse. According to Helen, she
goes to French because of her lung problem and there she manages to bring a child from India.
Her parents and her brother are not alive to know the truth. She also says that Michael’s
mother said nothing for child. At the graveyard the gardener, also she said Michael was her son.
In fact, what she said to the villagers was false. She might have created this false story to keep
the villagers silent. Otherwise, she would be condemned in the society. To tell the truth, she was
unmarried. So she hide the real fact. In fact Helen and Michael were mother and son. She told
all these lies so that she would not be condemned in the society.
 How do you know who the gardener is?
Ans : The person who was the eyewitness of the death of Michael was a
gardener .According to this story , the gardener reveals the truth . The
gardener is seen at the end of this story at the graveyard. And when Helen
reaches at the graveyard . The gardener asks Helen who she is looking for.
When Helen replies that, she is looking for her nephew .Then gardeners says
“come with me and I will show you where your son lies. The gardener was
able to show her Michael’s name through Helen hadn’t say any grave
number. So I think that God was incarnated in form of a gardener. So the
gardener must be God.

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 What was the effect of Michael’s death on Helen?

Ans : Helen was eager to know about Michael’s death who had
become a soldier. First he was sent to England but later on he was
sent to Somme. One day a shell-splinter dropped and killed
Michael death. She wrote many letters to many people and offices
to find Michael’s death. The war stopped but she didn’t take any
interest in the war. She sat on various relief commities. One day
she got an official letter and there was news of Lieutenant
Michael Turrell. She knew that Michael’s dead body was in
Hagenzeele. Hagenzeele was the third Military cemetery. Finally,
she goes to Hagenzeele to see Michael’s grave.
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