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The Sidley Park hermit
The Garden
The Sidley Park garden is the play’s strongest symbol of the shift from Enlightenment-era conceptions of beauty to Romantic ones. Noakes spearheads the change, transforming the grounds from a gentle, pastoral countryside scene to a… read analysis of The Garden
The Tortoise
The tortoise exists both in past and present versions. In the past, he belongs to Septimus and is named Plautus. In the present, he belongs to Valentine and is named Lightning. The tortoise represents the… read analysis of The Tortoise
Fire
Fire is a two-pronged symbol. On the one hand, fire relates to Thomasina’s discoveries about the second law of thermodynamics. She identifies that heat tends to leave a system, and won’t re-enter of its… read analysis of Fire
The Apple and Its Leaf
Like the tortoise, the apple exists both in the past and the present. In the present, Gus gives Hannah the apple. In the past, Septimus begins to eat it, and Thomasina declares her intention… read analysis of The Apple and Its Leaf
The Pot of Dahlias
In the past, the dahlias are important because Chater discovers them and Lady Croom is proud to be the first in England to display them. In the present, the dahlias provide the evidence that disproves… read analysis of The Pot of Dahlias
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