Symbolism In The Scarlet Pimpernel

The Scarlet Pimpernel’s Symbolism

In 1880, as the fifteen-year-old daughter of an extremely wealthy Hungarian family, the Baroness Emmuska Orczy moved to England. After her marriage to another wealthy land-owner, she and her husband visited Paris. This visit prompted a sense of horror of the French Revolution and a probable inspiration for her famous historical novel, The Scarlet Pimpernel. Peter Royston, in his biographical article, points out that she took her subjects from history, believed in valor and honor, and interestingly, always wanted to be the hero (www.portwashington.com). The main character of her famous novel, Sir Percy Blakeney, is an affluent Englishman who reveals gallantry and compassion in his escapades between England

The scarlet pimpernel, as a pseudonym and as a flower, are symbolic of multiple elements that are crucial to the development of the novel. The flower, the scarlet pimpernel, grows in beautiful shades of red, blue, and yellow, but the predominant is scarlet red, much like the innocent blood that is being shed. Sir Percy is definitely a predominant person in the French society trying to stop the mass murders of falsely accused nobles. Originating in England, the flower spread to Europe naturally. Sir Percy, like the flower, grew up in England and migrated to France. The parallels between the Sir Percy and the flower do not stop there. Even though the flower is gorgeous, people most often view the flower as a bothersome weed in much the same way the revolutionaries view their arch enemy, Sir Percy – aka, the Scarlet Pimpernel. The flower itself, the seeds, and the roots are poisonous to animals as well as humans. Research has shown that the shoots contain toxic called saponins and the roots contain cyclamens. People can get negative reactions from merely touching the plant. In the same way people do not like the scarlet pimpernels for their toxicity, the revolutionaries and the President of the Committee of Public Safety, Chauvelin, dislike the audacious Scarlet Pimpernel. As the scarlet pimpernel grows so

Note that the plant is not just the scarlet flower; its roots, seeds, and the soil’s nutrients contribute to its beauty, depth, and growth. Correspondingly, the Scarlet Pimpernel’s successes could not have come from him alone. The notes, letters, and his league are parallel to the flower’s roots, seeds, and nutrients. Like the flower spreads its seeds, the Scarlet Pimpernel spreads his letters to his league. The seeds have the blue prints for the future flower, like the letters have the instructions for the propagation of their mission. When the flower is gone, the roots and stems remain, as do the Scarlet Pimpernel’s notes. All of the letters and notes are sealed with the imprint of Sir Percy’s signet ring, planting the seeds of the actions needed. They brought encouragement to the oppressed and instructions to his faithful followers. Because his wax seal on these letters and notes was the only visible evidence of a “scarlet pimpernel,” it created the era of secrecy around him. Without the use of the letters and notes, his fame, his accomplishments, and his air of mystery would not have spread as widely or as