57 pages • 1 hour read
Kalynn BayronThis Poison Heart
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Pollen and Allergens
Thandie suffers intensely from her allergies after the move to Rhinebeck, and the Greene women find themselves in a constant battle with the pollen that creeps through the windows of the old, rural house. Because one of Briseis’s mothers is so adversely affected by the local plants, Briseis must necessarily undertake much of her explorative journey alone. She is the only one equipped to withstand the inherent dangers of the Poison Garden, as Thandie cannot even face a regular garden without suffering ill effects. This dynamic also illustrates the critical limitations of Briseis’s power; although she has control over the growth of plants and is immune to most poisons, she cannot control everything about them. Plants remain a force of nature that will continue to work in their own ways despite Briseis’s wish to mitigate their harmful effects on those she loves. Thandie’s struggle with allergies also reveals the woman’s commitment to doing what is best for her daughter and her family, as despite her physical discomfort, she continually asserts that she wants to stay in Rhinebeck. Thandie’s allergies also foreshadow her eventual death due to a poisonous plant.
Gates and Keys
Over the course of the novel, Briseis is given several crucial keys and searches for others as well. Each one brings her closer to the heart of her family’s legacy and, ultimately, closer to the Absyrtus Heart itself. Confined within its sanctum sanctorum within several layers’ worth of secret gardens, the Absyrtus Heart represents the very center of the mystery surrounding the Colchis family legacy. Significantly, although Briseis is given the first of the keys leading to this secret, she must find the final key herself; this suggests that while she needs assistance to begin her quest, the bulk of her discovery must be conducted independently. As Briseis unlocks each gate, she also unlocks another aspect of her own history, which in turn leads her to learn more about herself. These movements through the various gates—of the garden, of her past, of her understanding—parallel the growth of Briseis’s powers. The first time she goes into the Poison Garden, for example, she is shocked by the cold sensation that she always experiences whenever she encounters poisons. On subsequent visits, however, passing through the gates leads her to experience a barely noticeable chill. The gates thus represent the novel’s regular framing of knowledge as power; as Briseis learns more about her past, her powers improve in strength.
Money
The Greenes initially move to Rhinebeck to mitigate their financial concerns; rents are going up, which puts their flower shop and even their home in jeopardy. The possibility of inheriting a free place to live is a potentially life-altering boon for them. The novel continues to frame financial needs as an important plot motivator, and this strategic emphasis on mundane issues orients the fantastical elements of the plot within a real-world context. While Briseis searches for magical answers to age-old mysteries, the novel posits that she also experiences the concerns of any normal teenager. Thus, while Briseis exhibits qualities of the so-called “chosen one” trope, the novel does not suggest that her unique powers render her exempt from the other common issues of life, as even the chosen one must still pay her bills. This realistic framework keeps the novel centered in the concrete world and heightens the contrast with the story’s magical elements.
