A Soldier's Fugue Analysis

In Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue by Quiara Alegria Hudes, Ginny, mother to Elliot, suffers from PTSD, and maintains a garden as a means of possessing a sense of stability. In 4/Prelude, she recalls her purpose for bringing the garden to life, and the memories it brings back when she spends time there. Through elements of style such as diction, figurative language, and imagery, Hudes establishes Ginny’s garden as a symbol of healing.
In this scene, Hudes establishes Ginny’s garden as a symbol of healing, as she utilizes diction to reference Ginny’s specific reasons for constructing the garden, and memories of Vietnam. In this soliloquy, Ginny recalls that in her early stages of constructing the garden she said, “when I’m done with this, it’s going

In a simile, she compares gardening to “boxing… The wins versus the losses” (Hudes 16). Through this comparison, Hudes conveys Ginny’s deep desire for a sense of control and success in her life. This desire is fed by the memory of her father, who was only bearable when he was gardening. Specifically, the assertion of this desire for control is evident as she recalls that her father “was a mean bastard…” but “became a saint if you put a flower in his hand” (Hudes 15). From those experiences of dealing with her father, a psychological analogy between nature and peace was instilled in Ginny’s mind at a young age, and is what she relies on as an adult to handle her emotional trauma. Additionally, Ginny constructs a metaphor, as she asserts that “a seed is a contract for the future” (Hudes 16). To Ginny, planting a seed guarantees that she will soon be able to visually see the fruits of her labor, and will be able to relish in the joy of creating new life. This point means that imagery is as vitally important to Ginny as it is to her story, as her visualization of the future of her garden fuels her happiness and ability to cope with what she is going