Trespasses

Gorse symbolizes the bad luck that envelops Cushla’s town. The symbol first appears in the Prologue in the form of the tour guide’s tattoo of “spiky tendrils of stems and golden flowers” (1). Within the main plot of the novel, the plant gains prominence in Chapter 7 when Michael picks gorse flowers for Cushla and explains their symbolic meaning: “He told her [...] [t]hat one should never give gorse as a gift because it was unlucky for both the giver and the receiver. That he was happy to take his chances with bad luck if she was” (74). Michael’s willingness to risk bad luck by giving Cushla gorse reflects the couple’s defiance of conventional wisdom. By the town’s standards, Michael and Cushla are already testing their luck because of their religious differences. After Michael is murdered, Cushla retraces their steps together and returns to the place where he picked the plant: “She saw him step across the gully, the shyness of him as he handed her the gorse” (241). This unlucky gift forever ties Cushla’s association of gorse to her murdered lover, and the foreshadowing of the plant’s ominous meaning is now fulfilled by his tragic end.