The Judas Tree
The Judas tree is so-named because legend states it was the species of tree from which Judas hanged himself, thus transforming it into an ancient symbol of betrayal. Not without reason did Porter choose that particular story to become the title of her collection; this is a collection in which the one theme that prevails above all others is betrayal. So as a symbolic choice, the Judas tree could not be more appropriate.
The Rope
“The Flowering Judas” is far from the only story which situates its central thematic symbol within its title. “The Rope” differs in that it while it can be extrapolated as symbol to be applied to other stories in the collection, it would not be an appropriate title for the collection. It is, however, essential to the story bearing the title as the tale is both all about the title object and not at all about it. It is the presence of the rope and notable absence of coffee that stimulates the argument which gives the narrative its foundation, but the rope itself is really just a symptom of a much larger issue to be addressed. The rope is therefore a symbol of everything else connected to that issue; one may say it ties all the issues to each other. The rope also ties the husband and wife together, but in some instances the rope is like a tether tied to a lifesaver and in other instances it is more like the rope used for bondage. The rope may also be viewed as potentially useful for a noose for either wife, husband or both.
The Mexican Revolution
One might well be tempted to assume that Katherine Anne Porter was a Mexican writer considering how many of her stories take place there. In this volume alone, “Flowering Judas” and “The Martyr” as well those stories with obviously Hispanic titles all have some connection to the country. What is important symbolically about Mexico is not its location or even any traditional sense of culture and ethnicity, but rather the Mexican Revolution which was still fresh in the mind at the time the stories were composed. Mexico represents here a place for revolution and it is more than a little telling that the stories which take advantage of this historical resonance are those featuring women demonstrating their power over a litany of weak men. The submission of men to women transform the meaning of Mexico as a place of political revolution into a symbol of feminist revolution.
The Broken Mirror
“The Cracked Looking Glass” makes concrete what is symbolized throughout many other stories, but even in its own story, it exists equally as symbol and literal object. The literal object suffers damage that results in a distorted reflection, but the real distorted image here is not the reflection of reality, but reality itself. The protagonist of the story must arrive at realization that it is her reality which is really cracked and that means either coming to terms with it or striving to change it. In her case, she choose acceptance. Granny Weatherall’s story is about a woman reflecting back upon an entire life in which her view was distorted. Only at the end does she realize that the reality she thought was cracked was actually in perfect working condition. “Maria Concepcion” takes the mirror symbolism to a more abstract level: there are two female characters both named Maria both teenagers, both impregnated by the same man. But one Maria is the real thing and the other a distorted reflection; unlike the protagonist with the literal mirror, Maria Concepcion decides to take action to change what is cracked about her own reality.
The Hacienda
The title structure of “The Hacienda” is a symbol that actually speaks more toward what was to come from Porter than what was portrayed in the all the stories that preceded it. Appropriately, it is the final story of the collection. In many ways the hacienda as a comprehensive symbol of all the corruption within its proximity foresees what would become Porter’s most successful piece of full-length fiction. One way to approach “The Hacienda” is to view it as Porter’s Ship of Fools on land. Like the ship in that novel, it is a deeply symbolic construction of the world in miniature.
