The Night Gardener

The time at the market provides Molly and Kip with a break from the tree and the drama of the Windsor household, and it also allows them an opportunity to get an outside opinion confirming what they have experienced at the house. Molly’s anger at the end of Hester’s story has a few sources. First, as a storyteller herself, she recognizes the power of a good ending and feels cheated that the ending of this particular story is less than satisfying. She wants this story to end well because she believes stories must have conclusive endings, and the fact that it doesn’t goes against her understanding of stories. Molly also wants resolution from this story in particular because she wants to convince herself that she isn’t living the story of the Night Gardener. If the story ended with the curse being broken or the tree being destroyed, that would reassure her that the danger she fears isn’t real. Without that conclusive ending, however, her situation feels inescapable, and she cannot deal with the possibility that the Windsors’ tree truly wants her soul.

In addition to providing the children with some much-needed intel, Hester’s behavior in both the market and the tavern shows The Power of Storytelling. In recent trips to the market, Molly has struggled to buy enough food because the merchants are taking advantage of her, a common practice of the time—charging more from people they believe could afford it. This time, with Hester’s influence, the merchants offer Molly better prices because Hester is a well-known and respected person in the community. In addition, the merchants understand the power of a well-told story. They know that Hester has the power to spread good or bad things about their shops, and thus they understand that although they may lose a little money on the sale by offering Molly a lower price, they would lose much more if Hester were to spread bad stories about them and drive away future customers. Similarly, Hester gets free drinks at the tavern because she has told many good stories that increased the owner’s clientele and income.

Despite Hester’s experience and helpful nature, however, Molly is reluctant to tell her the truth about the Windsors, the tree, or her own transformation, and this dynamic presents a strong example of irony. Up until now, Molly has not hesitated to tell stories, whether to entertain others or to better her own situation. Throughout the novel, Hester—a consummate storyteller—is the only character who makes Molly anxious about telling stories, perhaps because Hester’s own storytelling experience makes her more likely to catch the holes in the tales Molly tells. Thus, as long as Molly remains determined to accept the gifts of the soul-stealing tree, her misguided motivations for keeping the truth of the Windsor household hidden render Hester something of a threat despite the good help that she offers. In accordance with this unspoken conflict, Molly and Hester’s debate about the nature of stories versus lies is a central part of the book’s thematic exploration of the nature of storytelling in general. Lies are indeed a type of story, and as Molly surmises, the true difference between the two may be found in the intention with which the storyteller shares them. Yet even in arriving at this conclusion, Molly fails to consider the difference between an “intention” and an “effect.” While Hester’s stories are often intended to instruct and to heal, some of Molly’s stories (such as the lie that her parents are still alive) are motivated by grief and fear. Thus, while her intention may be to keep her brother from feeling grief, the effect of keeping him in ignorance causes nothing but harm in the long run.

The undercurrent of lies and manipulation is further developed as the narrative reveals more information about the Night Man. While Hester’s story confirms the deadly nature of his eternal task, the Night Man’s action of leaving the key for Kip also implies his willingness to manipulate when outright attacks prove ineffective. The key that the Night Man leaves for Kip has only one use, suggesting that it is bait. Therefore, the man (and by extension, the tree) are offering Kip the key because they know he will seek the lock it fits regardless of the risk. Just like Molly, Kip is curious and a lover of good stories, and because he too has spent at least one night in the house, he is just as vulnerable to the tree’s evil influences. A key without a lock is like a story, and the Night Man knows that Kip will not rest until he finds the right lock. In a continuation of the theme of lies, the key also symbolizes Kip’s growing irritation with Molly. He knows that she has been lying to him, and he sees the key as his chance to get answers about the nature of the house despite Molly’s dishonesty on the topic.