The significance of an object is greatly influenced by the circumstances surrounding it. Gwen Pharis Ringwood’s dramatic play Still Stands the House uses a plethora of symbols to represent ideas woven into the characters and their lives.
The symbolic significance of the hyacinths shifts in tandem with the plot’s progression and alongside the differing interpretations of Hester and Ruth, emphasizing the flowers as an allegory for hope, change, life, and death.
As the play commences, the introduction of the hyacinth flowers indicates them as a symbol of new things and change. Hyacinths bloom in the early spring, often through the snow, thus they have become synonymous with the end of winter. This idea is underscored by Ruth’s enthusiasm for
