Serenity & Violence Passage in Loving

Henry Green's Loving contains a passage reminiscent of the passage in Voyage in the Dark (pg. 90) that our presenters discussed on Tuesday. We listed contradictions in the section, and one member of our class noted the presence of both serenity and violence. Similarly, in Loving, Green writes, "He punted the daffodil ahead like a rugger ball" (23). Daffodils are delicate, and yet Charley kicks them. Also, when Charley actually cuts the flower, Green refers to it as a "head." Disturbing, yes?

Next, Charley says to Miss Burch, "the stink of flowers always makes my eyes run" (24). This reminds me of Hester not being able to bear the scent of the pop-flowers in Voyage in the Dark. Miss Burch, however, claims the daffodils had no smell, and she believes that Charley is simply smelling musk. The delicacy of flowers is being disturbed here; there seems to be a contradiction, similar to the passage in VD.