Japanese Quince Essay, Research Paper

The short story “The Japanese Quince” consists of only two characters, Mr. Nilson and Mr. Tandram. Both men are middle-class businessmen that are living their lives while the reason for living goes un-noticed. The men are so enthralled by the tree’s beauty because it shows the two there is more to life than work and money.John Galsworthy demonstrates great imagery in this short story. He starts off by giving the reader a great mental picture of the lifestyles of the two men, beginning with Mr. Nilson. “As Mr. Nilson, well known in the City, opened the window of his dressing room on Campden Hill,” this descriptive opening sentence proves that Mr. Nilson is a man of success in order to have his own dressing room. Galsworthy then goes on to describe the similarities in the life-styles of Mr. Tandram and Mr. Nilson. The most obvious of these is the setting in which they live. Galsworthy writes, “It was his next-door neighbor, Mr. Tandram, well known in the city, who had occupied the adjoining house for some five years,” comparing the two lifestyles of the men. Finally Galsworthy paints an image of the simple but beautiful Japanese Quince. In the descriptive sentence, “It was covered with young blossoms, pink and white, and little bright green leaves both round and spiky,” Galsworthy sets a mental picture in the readers mind.

Mr. Nilson’s mental health also serves as part of the plot in this story. “Mr. Nilson had scarcely taken it in his hands when he again became aware of that queer feeling,” is referring to the un-noticed set ways of Mr. Nilson’s lifestyle. The beauty of the Japanese Quince serves as a foil to whatever mental state of mind Mr. Nilson is in. When Mr. Nilson and Mr. Tandram take the few moments to recognize the beauty of the Japanese Quince, it seems as if the two are stepping out of their complicated business lives for a moment to observe the beauty of nature.In this short story the two men take a short time out of their busy schedules to look at nature’s beauty, the Japanese Quince. The two men’s lives are so business oriented that they never noticed the beautiful tree near the houses they have lived in for years. The men are so apalled by the tree’s beauty because they never get out and experiance the beauty of nature while living their very busy lives.