Essay Questions

Why is Kate Morton focusing on affection and love as her main premises in the story The Forgotten Garden?

The narrator is emphasizing on affection and love between parents, siblings, and family. According to Kate Morton, the success of any family is based on affection and love among the members. In her book, Kate has concentrated on parental affection towards children as the basis of a strong family foundation. Children are only able to love each other when they receive affection and love from their parents. A good example of the couples who demonstrate the significance of love and affection is Nathaniel and Georgiana.

What is the allegorical meaning of the phrase ‘sea of memories’ as used by the author in The Forgotten Garden?

The ‘sea of memories’ is a figurative expression used by the author to reflect on the optimal affection and love between Nell and her espoused daughter Cassandra. Despite being an adopted daughter, Cassandra has always achieved the best from Nell just as her blood. The narrator writes, “as Nell drowned in a sea of memories, came up for air again and again in earlier times of life. She couldn't bear to think her grandmother might defy the odds and find her way back to the present, only to discover herself floating on the outer edge of life, alone.” This quote is an illustration of how Nell values Cassandra.

Give one example of how the narrator has used literary imagery.

Imagery is a vital component in literature because it helps the reader to create an imaginative image of what is happening in the story being told by the narrator. Kate Morton has perfected the art of using the literary device of imagery to appeal various senses to her readers. For instance, she appeals to the sense of sight to the reader when she writes, “Dust motes, hundreds of them, danced in the sliver of sunlight that had appeared between two barrels. The little girl smiled and the lady, the cliff, the maze, Mamma, left her thoughts. She held out a finger, tried to catch a speck upon it. Laughed at the way the motes came so close before skirting away.” This imagery is essential in aiding the readers to visualize the appearance of the new location where the little girl finds herself.