Flowering Judas

“Flowering Judas” is an exploration of how a young woman’s experience in Mexico exposes the theme of Faith and Disillusionment as Laura’s ideals meet with reality. The story occurs over one evening, so the reader is unaware of how Laura has changed during her time in Mexico. However, it is clear that she feels let down by the realities of the city in the aftermath of the Revolution. The faith and ideals that motivated her to move to Mexico and join the revolutionary cause have been shattered. She is stuck with Braggioni’s unwelcome company, but there is a greater sense of paralysis and discontent beyond her present circumstances. Laura is “not at home in the world” (Paragraph 22), and her internal unease permeates the narrative, giving the story an ambiguous, unreliable feeling. Laura feels disconnected from others and lacks a sense of belonging; she is lost in the world and to herself.

Laura’s sense of detachment lends itself to the mood of the story. She does not have close relationships with others or passions and interests. Her job as a teacher seems to be one of necessity, and while her pupils love her, she describes them as “poor prisoners who come every day bringing flowers to their jailor” (Paragraph 40). While Laura recalls events of her time in Mexico, such as her experiences with suitors and her inner thoughts about Braggioni, the central conflict is internal as she struggles to accept and understand the reality of her situation. Her disillusionment with her circumstances is epitomized by the suicide of Eugenio, whose revolutionary ideals could not sustain him during his imprisonment.

Eugenio’s suicide is the climax of the story and exposes Laura’s complicated position within the Socialist movement. She believes in the cause but can only help the prisoners in limited ways, such as providing drugs and sedation. Unlike Braggioni, she is powerless to make a real impact or release them. As a woman in early 20th-century Mexico, Laura does not have the influence and status to be an agent of change within that political system. She is admired only for her outer beauty as an object of the male gaze. Porter establishes the theme of Female Objectification and Oppression as Laura never escapes the attention of men, creating an atmosphere of perpetual sexual threat. She similarly cannot free herself from patriarchal influence. Laura is reliant on Braggioni’s patronage to stay in Mexico, and her attempts to do good ultimately result in harm. As the provider of the medication that kills Eugenio, she feels extreme guilt, underscoring the theme of Betrayal of Self and Others. The character of Mrs. Braggioni also illustrates the constraints experienced by women in Mexico. While undertaking crucial work for the revolutionary cause, she is mistreated by her husband and expected to take a subservient role within their marriage.

Porter roots her story in complex religious symbolism, demonstrating the tension and interconnection between politics and religion in Mexico. Laura has an unstable allegiance to both her Catholic faith and the Socialist cause, causing her to feel detached and empty. Her need for true spiritual sustenance (either political or religious) is represented in her dream of hungrily eating the flowers of the Judas tree. The act of taking the Judas blossoms from Eugenio’s hand replicates the Catholic rite of Holy Communion, suggesting Laura is seeking reconciliation and sanctification. However, the experience does not satiate her, instead turning into a nightmare as Eugenio accuses her of murder and cannibalism. The biblical allusions to the Judas tree—associated with Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Christ and subsequent remorse—echo Laura’s guilty feeling that she has betrayed the revolutionary cause, Eugenio, and herself. Just as Judas betrayed Christ, Laura has been disloyal to everything she formerly believed in, demonstrating how far from her former idealistic self she has traveled.

The author utilizes further biblical imagery in the description of Braggioni’s reconciliation with his wife. Up to this point, Braggioni is clearly aligned with Judas as he betrays his wife, his followers, and the Socialist cause. However, when he returns home, Porter turns this image on its head as she portrays Mrs. Braggioni kneeling and crying as she washes her husband’s feet. The image evokes the biblical story of Mary Magdalen seeking atonement for her sins by washing the feet of Christ. Mrs. Braggioni’s actions seem illogical as it is her husband who has sinned and abandoned her. However, this act of love and humility has a transformative effect on her callous husband. The gesture, combined with the “refresh[ing] […] endless rain of her tears,” has the spiritual impact of Baptism on Braggioni (Paragraph 39), prompting him to feel love and remorse. By the end of the narrative, his character appears to have undergone a transformation, while Laura remains in a state of spiritual stasis.