Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus (Book Review) POSC 1013 – Politics and Governance with Philippine Constitutions Prudente, Cyril Claris P.
2009-01046-MN-0
BS – Architecture V-1
Sir John Paul Martirez
Hope for the flowers is an example of allegorical reading which characters and events symbolizes the ideas about human everyday living. It is written by Trina Paulus – self-describe as an “advocate of organic farming, composting, holistic health and spiritual search”. The book was first published in 1972 which is somewhat about life, uprising and lots about hope – for all kind of readers. The two character of the story begin their quest about their life by attempting to climb to the top of the caterpillar pillar without knowing what’s waiting there and only for them to realize and fulfill another destiny. In our everyday living, some of us unintentionally but some people would try to purposely step on and hurt others just to be on the top. They do not care if they have already crossed the boundaries, degrading others’ life. Crab mentality - it is very common attitude of most of us not realizing that it is not the true success in life but rather enjoying every challenges that we face, knowing ourselves, reaching our goals in life and having our dignity without hurting others intentionally. The story started when the main character – Stripe – a caterpillar burst from the egg got hungry and got bored with his daily routine in life. He realize that there must be more than just by doing thing repetitively. He finds so many new things and each fascinated him but nothing satisfied him. He met other crawlers but they are all too busy to talk to him. Until he saw crawlers and looked for their goal where he find out a great pillar of caterpillar each struggling up high into the air. He got curious why everybody trying to be on the top and what was there. Without having any response from other crawlers, Stripe decided to find out what was there and while he was there taking all the opportunities to reach his goals until one day he met Yellow who have the same goal as him. But Yellow feels bad about how they have to step on others just to achieve their goals. Until the two of them both agreed to stop climbing and go back down the pillar. They live together. Love each other up to the point that they really know each other but again, Stripe’s curiosity and decided he must get to the top of the pillar. He asked Yellow to join him but the latter refused that says the goodbye. Stripe try to focuses himself and drives to reach to the top that eventually resulted for him to be on the top of the pillar but results a big disappointment for him. There is nothing for him there. He don’t even gotten in to the sky. He just only have a view of other caterpillars struggling to reach the top and to be in his place. However, while Stripe attained his disappointments, Yellow follow her instincts, continues her life and met another caterpillar emerges from a cocoon transformed into a butterfly and flies into the sky. It explain her the true purpose of a caterpillar by being a butterfly, beauty of a butterfly and how she can achieve the same goal – to be on the top – not by crawling but by flying and how a butterfly can be helpful to the others. Yellow waited for Stripe as he come back and reaches the ground again. And it happen. By then, Yellow
shows Stripe her empty cocoon and eventually realizes what he needs to do. Stripe makes his own cocoon while Yellow is waiting for him. Until finally Stripe emerges transformed into a butterfly and they fly off and inspire other caterpillars together. The purpose of the author in writing the story is to inspire the readers by relating our life to the evolution of a caterpillar. Most of us can relate to the main character - Stripe which burst from an egg that protected him for some time, live everyday life without worries, we were all babies taking care and protected of by our parents, faced daily life carefree living and do the routine repeatedly. But same with Stripe, we were got bored and wanted to acquire and experience new things for that will satisfy our ignorance in life in which this natural curiosity leads us to places and let us experience new things we never have been and do the things we never imagined doing. In our life, nobody knows where we really going. There is a lot of obstacles and challenges in our daily life like how Striped was being snob by other crawlers, but the truth is we should not depend on others, we should ask ourselves where we really want to go and continue our life. Until Stripe met Yellow while he is the middle of the pillar which they concerted to help each other to be on the top. Yellow is the character of the story that teaches us helping each other to achieve our goals in life is much more better that continue stepping and pushing others just to fulfill these goals which was agreed by Stripe at first. But because of his curiosity, he is not satisfied until he gets to the top of the pillar. Most of us can relate to this characteristic of Stripe, sometimes we tend to be restless and do whatever where we think we can acquire new things. Outcomes of our decisions are not always the way we think of. Sometimes we feel disappointed by these outcomes but the good side is we always learn which we can use as a shield to next challenges in life, we tend to be smarter and wiser in life. While for Yellow, she chose to stand for her belief and continue to find her purpose in life without hurting others. The two characters learned lessons to find themselves in a different manner but at the end of the day, they still manage to retain the relationship they have and both transformed into a beautiful butterflies. At first, I thought the story would be about our nature continuously dying and begging to the readers to think and give importance to each around us. Though the beautiful and inspiring transformation of a caterpillar is what the author used in the story, it still all about each and everybody’s life. The each and every one of us aim to be on the top. We strived everyday expecting that there is something more beautiful and rewarding when we are on top, which sometimes gives us no choice but to hurt other people around us, even those we were acquainted quite some time. We are all just like the caterpillars in the pillar. But only few of us will be the same with Yellow and Stripe. Yellow which even she knows that she is already in the middle of her goals, she chose not to continue if she the only way is to stepped and pushed others but rather she find herself in some other ways in which she can still achieve their goal to be on the top. While Stripe, at first he became agitated which resulted him to feel disappointed, he reach the top of the pillar, yes, but he don’t find the true achievement while he is on top, he just realize how other caterpillar struggle and offend other just to be in place where there is nothing really important. He don’t even have a chance to be on the sky and the clouds. Most of us are still the caterpillars in the pillar who continue to don’t care about others just to fulfill our goals in life. Of course, each one of use have our own meaning of happiness, and how we can achieve our goals to fulfill this happiness but after reading this book - and I recommend this to everybody who can read - young, adult and even caterpillars who can read -
this book will greatly give lessons to the
readers with its easy read and very creative presentation that sometimes the lines by the characters are related to our life. After reading this, I’m sure readers like me will make a second thought and realize that life is not always about the achievements we have but how we achieve these goals, how many we helped strived to bring out the best in their life and inspired while we are in the top of our accomplishments and how many we stepped and pushed to the limits just to be in our place. It is still how we can sleep at night peacefully without thinking that someone hurt because of us.
