Snowdrops

Today in class we discussed a Welsh short story called 'Snowdrops'. The story tells about a young boy who is excited to see snowdrop flowers for the first time. The boy has a very strong imagination, which allows him to conjure up images in his mind of what the snowdrops could look like. However, when he finally sees them, he "[feels] a slow, sad disappointment." He looks around for his teacher, Ms Webster, to explain the flowers to him, but she is down at the gate watching a funeral procession. On his own, the boy moves past his initial impression of the snowdrops and comes to realise that they are fragile but valiant.

There is a clear separation between adults and children when the death of a 20 year old man is mentioned by the boy's father at breakfast. The mother quickly shushes him when he mentions that the man had been friendly with Ms Webster. The mother's efforts to keep the information from her son indicate the desire of most adults, parents in particular, to protect children from the harsh realities of the adult world. The children at the school seem to be able to sense Ms Webster's sadness when she comes to school that day after the funeral, but they can't quite understand what's wrong. They become scared later when Ms Webster begins to cry as she watches the funeral procession from the school gates.

The story captures the stage of growing up during which young children are filled with questions, wonderment, and curiosity about the world around them. It shows the beginning of the realisation that there is a world beyond that of childlike innocence which is full of strange, unexpected, and occasionally frightening things that we will sometimes have to face on our own.