The Lottery Rose

“He was scarred by a deep burn on the left side of his head which left him partly bald, with a crumpled ear and a streak that looked like fire running down the back of his neck.”

The vivid language in this passage exposes the reality of Georgie’s trauma. The abuse he has experienced has left him emotionally and physically scarred. Using a simile to compare the scar to fire illuminates the pain Georgie carries and The Effects of Abuse and Trauma on a Child.

“He closed his eyes and drew his dream close about him, burrowing into it as he burrowed under the sheet on his bed at night to find a feeling of safety and peace.”

Georgie’s bed is one of the only places he feels safe. After receiving the lottery ticket, the dream of winning the prize becomes a new comfort for him. The passage compares the dream to a warm blanket covering and calming him.

“The rain […] came down in sheets so heavy that it blotted out the buildings only a few feet away, emptying a downpour of water that sank into the soil as if thousands of parched mouths beneath the surface were sucking it under.”

The rainstorm metaphorically represents Georgie’s flood of emotions as he struggles to find a safe place to plant the rosebush. Just as the land is starved for rain, Georgie’s soul is desperate for love and comfort.

“The flowers sent waves of fragrance across the street to Georgie, fragrance that made him dizzy with its sweetness.”

The Harpers’ garden is Georgie’s picture book that comes to life and symbolizes all his dreams for safety and stability. The beauty of it enchants him, and he can’t resist the pull to experience his dream. The garden is one of the many representations of Georgie using The Natural World as an Escape From Adversity.

“He expected to hear the words so many people said when they looked at him for the first time—‘What happened? Who hurt you?’”

Georgie is accustomed to people pitying him and expects those at the school to do the same. Instead, Sister Mary Angela and the other adults, though acknowledging his trauma, treat him with dignity. This compassion plays a role in Georgie’s healing and learning to accept love from others.

“He glared at Molly like a furious little animal.”

Georgie has lived in a perpetual state of survival, which causes him to rely on his base instincts. Having become very protective of the rosebush, Georgie becomes animal-like in defending it from Mrs. Harper’s anger.

“After pain and a fear that had stayed with him constantly until it wore him out and made his body sick, after all the terrible days, his rosebush was safe because of that it was safe for him to rest.”

Georgie finally collapses under the weight of his physical and emotional trauma. Once it is planted where it can grow, Georgie can begin his healing journey by projecting all his survival energy onto the rosebush.

“Outside the sky flamed as the sun set and across the street the garden lay like a bright picture. The colors glowed with a special light, giving their best before twilight robbed them of their brightness.”

This passage personifies the light of the sunset, making it appear as an animating force that draws attention to the garden’s beauty. The figurative language amplifies the dream-like quality the garden imbues, especially to Georgie, as it brings his imagination to life.

“Above him the sky had stars scattered all over it, some so low that a boy able to climb the highest palm with an arm suddenly well again, might pull some of them down and watch the light flash in them as they were dropped from one hand to the other.”

Camping out under the stars brings Georgie a moment of solitude as he stares at the stars and considers his new life. The image of Georgie grasping a star is a metaphor for him realizing that his dreams of having a new life are now within his grasp.

“At last he had done it. He had defied his mother’s warnings and had dared an invisible Steve to leap out from some hiding place and kill him on the spot.”

Despite Georgie being safe, his emotional wounds aren’t fully healed. He takes a big step in trusting Timothy with the truth of his story, but it doesn’t stop his trauma from resurfacing at the reminder of his mother’s threats.

“Ain’t me and you artists same as if we held brushes in our hands?”

Old Eddie speaks in dialect as he compares the work he and Georgie do in the garden to that of a painter. Old Eddie’s influence is integral to Georgie’s growth, legitimizing his love of flowers and teaching him the art of curating and caring for a garden.

“Still the memories that hurt him were too sharp for him to speak; they made his face grow hot and his throat begin to tighten.”

The body stores trauma, and when traumatic memories resurface, it can manifest itself physically. Georgie’s debilitating symptoms are indicative of a panic attack brought on by memories of his painful past.

“He felt as if two Georgies were fighting inside him, one pushing in a certain direction, the other quickly pushing back in the other.”

Though he sometimes lacks the language to convey his feelings, Georgie’s internal dialogue reveals his conflicting emotions toward Mrs. Harper. One part of him desires to release his anger and accept her love, but his survival instinct wants to hold onto his anger as a self-preservation tactic.

“The organ whispered a low command and they sang, sweetly and beautifully.”

Music becomes an essential motif in the story as it helps Georgie heal. The personification of the organ emphasizes its music’s profound effect on Georgie. With both music and theater, Georgie finds a niche in which he can blossom and grow.

“Look, in the olden days all the roles of ladies was took by boys.”

Timothy speaks in dialect as he explains Mrs. Harper’s lesson to Georgie to the boys who were teasing one another for playing girls’ roles in the play. She refers to Shakespearean theater when it was illegal for women to perform on stage; thus, all the female roles were played by boys.

“He forgot to be shy or afraid as he often was. He even forgot that he was Georgie Burgess.”

This passage highlights the change in Georgie as his performance liberates him to embrace his true identity. Ironically, being in a play requires him to assume a new identity, which helps him heal from his old identity as a broken, traumatized child. By acting, he is able to separate his sense of self from his trauma.

“All the last traces of his resentment toward Mrs. Harper melted before the bright light of that moment.”

Sister Mary Angela described Georgie’s resentment as like tires stuck in ice. The figurative language in this passage compares his change of heart to melting. Throughout the development of Georgie’s complicated emotions toward Mrs. Harper, Sister Mary Angela is kind and patient, allowing him to see beyond his feelings in time.

“I wish we had words for an hour longer.”

After the play, Georgie struggles to find words to express his love for Mrs. Harper. He says he wishes they could stay on stage longer, which is his way of apologizing for their lost time due to his refusal to forgive.

“Remember last year he didn’t hardly make a move on his own? Now, it’s all I can do to keep up with him.”

Amanda describes the improvement they’ve seen in Robin since he began spending more time with Georgie. Just like the rosebush, Robin has thrived under Georgie’s care. Robin sees Georgie as a brother figure, and Georgie slowly starts to find a sense of family with the Harpers.

“He was caught by a tangle of branches that tried to hold him back, but he pressed on, proud to be able to do as he chose, to go to new places by himself.”

The brambles appear human-like as they try to prevent Robin from moving forward. This personification foreshadows the tragedy that is to come for Robin. The natural world, an escape for both Robin and Georgie, is personified in this moment, attempting to keep Robin safe.

“‘Weep-weep’ it mocked in the voice of a very little boy.”

The use of onomatopoeia conveys the birds’ childlike sounds in mocking Robin. This image echoes the way Robin has been learning to speak from Georgie. Ironically, they say “weep,” foreshadowing the grief of those who will mourn Robin’s death.

“Georgie sang with them, but his throat tightened now and then as if a pair of hands closed around his neck threatening to choke the breath out of him.”

Robin’s death reignites Georgie’s trauma, and he once again experiences his throat tightening as a physical manifestation of his grief and stored trauma. Robin’s death is a setback in Georgie’s healing process.

“When the deeply bedded roots came slowly to the surface they reminded Georgie of long fingers that clung in dismay to the bed they had known for so many months.”

The simile compares the rosebush’s roots to fingers, further anthropomorphizing the plant. Georgie imagines that its deep roots are a sign that it feels at home in the garden, as though he is putting down roots in his new home at the school.