u/MLC311311

“Through fire, nature is reborn whole”

Relistening (again) and noticed something new in the first entry of Journal 7:

“Storms are ominous portents in literature, but when I forced myself from the rumpled tousle of my bed and looked out the window, there was no gloom or ill fate to be had, as if the strong-handed rain had only been intent on washing away the soot and grime and dust of a long winter. It was not gentle, but it was good. And I was glad for it. Now I’m feeling almost eager to see Pierce. To speak with him.”

I missed this before, the idea of the storm being a cleansing experience that washes away the gloom (including the “soot and grime and dust”).

This entry is on March 1st, the first entry that follows the first kiss. The description of this storm made me think of the imagery of Emma’s dream at the end of Journal 8, as the wind and storm are all around her and she clings to the burnt and broken tree. I do believe the tree in this dream to represent Pierce, or a symbol of life that includes Pierce, like her heart or her future or a sense of home, if/when anything happens to Pierce or LLH, or both. All of the entries with the strong wind, the storm, the rain, the changes in atmosphere - these are all Pierce. But the thunder and the lightning? I am starting to believe more and more that the fire and the lightning are Emma. Her emotions, her actions, her conflicts - all of the fire she carries inside her. I know I’ve already said this elsewhere, but Emma seems like the fire.

Journal 7 (3/1/84) - after the first kiss

“Volleys of rain came down half the night. Gusts of wind like cannon fire shaking the windows, as if the storm were being thrown against Lapis Lazuli by the handfuls. Warlike and belligerent, only a thin roof between myself and each clap of thunder. The battle raged until dawn, water streaming off the roof and down the window like an extra sheet of glass, distorting the grey morning.”

Journal 8 (6/30/84) - after Nettle

“Then storm and rain, come with lightning. The tree struck…. marked with lines of spent fire. In the rain, beside the tree… l threw my arms around the trunk and held it, weeping. The night persisted, a cold rain lashing over the hill. Still I clung to the tree. After what seemed like an abyss of hours, the rain abated. The wind also. And I, wet through, pulled myself away. I pressed my hands against the damp, black wood. Tracing every split, every scar. Hours passed. I do not know why I stayed. Then the sky growing lighter. A line of gold on the horizon…..
….And then the impossible: hope. Profound, peaceful hope. Lifting a finger to the crevice in the wall, I knew. I knew that I would give the hope to Pierce, if I could. Every golden coin of it.”

On December 9, 1883, all ten reprobates (including Hawkes) walk in very late to church. Hawkes does not look quite as worn out as the remaining reprobates, but like he did not sleep in his own bed. Once Hawkes gets to the pulpit, he announces “Marley was Dead.”

On December 8, 1883 (in real history):

“December 8, 1883, was a highly significant date in the trial and sentencing of members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), known as the Fenians. On this date, four prominent Irish republicans—including key figures responsible for the Fenian Dynamite Campaign—were convicted at the Old Bailey in London for plotting bombings and treason.”

EDIT: December 9, 1883 is also the day we learn that Hawkes has an unknown Gaelic first name that starts with an “F.”

*****************

I do wonder if this sermon is intended for the Reprobates in some fashion?

“Marley was Dead” as symbolism:

“Marley’s deceased state is the most potent symbol of Scrooge’s impending spiritual and literal fate…. Because Scrooge is identical to Marley…. Marley's ghost acts as a living (or rather, un-living) warning. His death symbolizes what Scrooge will become—a doomed spirit eternally carrying the heavy chains of his own earthly regrets—unless Scrooge radically transforms his behavior.”

“Hands marked in Ash.”

I was looking at flower associations for Emma and came across something unrelated and unexpected about the four most sacred trees of Celtic folklore: Oak. Ash. Yew. Hazel.

The Ash is the most fascinating to me, so I’ll break that one down in greater detail.

(1) Oak: We have our very own Mighty Oak!

“The freshest—”
“The upstanding—”
“The ONE and onnnnnly—”
“The Mighty Nigel Hawkes!”

Hawkes finds peace under the sacred oakwood at Stonecrop and finds protection for he and Emma under a great oak after the reprobate duel.

The Oak is the King of all sacred trees. Although a magnet for lightning, it is the most capable of surviving these strikes, with a bit of scarring left behind. (As a note, the word “druid” actually comes from the Gaelic word for oak.)

(2) Yew: Growing into the backyard of LLH, the Yew greens are used by Emma to complete her Christmas wreath. Famous for its exceptional ability to regrow, even if cut down to the stump, the Yew tree simply needs to be in the sunlight in order to regenerate.

“If you cut a yew back to bare, leafless branches, new green needles will emerge once the old wood is exposed to the light.”

The yew was believed to be a natural protection against wind, storms and lightning. Often planted in churchyards, it could also be a sign of death and, due to its high toxicity, at times used as a weapon/poison (as noted by both Julius Caesar and Pliny the Elder).

(3) Hazel: Our Hazel-eyed guy is the sacred “Tree of Knowledge.” The Hazel is not a high a target for lightning, and was believed to act as a shield against harsh weather, thunder and lightning. For this sacred tree of wisdom, Islington is our Hazel guy.

“Druids chose hazel for their wands because the wood is flexible, durable, and highly conductive to magical energy. In Old English, the word haesl translates to: rod of power.”

A note on Shakespeare: “In Romeo and Juliet (Act III, Scene 1), Mercutio teases Benvolio by saying he is the type of person who would quarrel with someone for "cracking nuts" simply because the person has hazel eyes. This is the first recorded instance in the English language of "hazel" being used to describe eye color.”

(4) Ash: I had been thinking a lot about Emma’s dream at the end of Journal 8, with the burnt tree and her hands covered in Ash. And I thought, maybe BB is being clever with her wording. As another magnet for lightning, I believe the burnt tree in Emma’s dream is the Ash - which is Pierce - burnt, blackened and scarred.

“All I’ve done is disagree with you, Emma.” “All you’ve done is take something enjoyable and smear ash over it. Well done, you.” (Pierce as the Ash.)

“Sackcloth and ashes. I was not prepared. Tybalt is gone.” (Sackcloth is made of goat hair, just to mention that for kicks, since Athena’s shield/cloak is also goat 😬. Poor Pierce is, of course, the Ash.)

“A porcelain urn does not make such a spectacular explosion without there having been something inside,” I said in as practical a tone as I could manage. “I assume I am covered in the ashes of…?” Tad grimaced but couldn’t help the underlining smile. “Our dogs, Miss Lion…” (Heavy symbolism of Emma being completely coated in the Ash.)

“Only… How to write this out? There are some abuses that feel tangled, sticky, every dim feeling invading the peace of one’s heart. Cruelty played out over years, and a feeling of desolation and ash in its wake. Human brutality carries its own sting.” (Think of the Ash of Pierce’s childhood.)

“And there I sat, on the edge furthest from the lights, my elbows before me on the table in a violation of everything Aunt Eugenia holds dear, chin in my hands, staring at the fête and seeing a tree split in two. Charred. Almost ash. But new green leaves emerging, despite…” (Note how she says “almost ash” regarding the May Day prophecy.)

We also have two “gentlemen” who have stubbed out their ashy cigar/cigarette - Evelyn (not nice, got a punch in the nose) and Mr Gangster of the Duck (also not nice, maybe an upcoming punch in the nose?).

The Dream:
“Then storm and rain, come with lightning. The tree struck, the force splitting it in two. It burned, the bark left charred, marked with lines of spent fire…I lifted my hands to the blackened trunk. Burned away, no life left. I knelt. I threw my arms around the trunk and held it, weeping.… I pressed my hands against the damp, black wood. Tracing every split, every scar….a branch on the left, the smallest bud breaking into leaf, and then a spread of green…. I pulled my hands away—body sore, dress sodden, hands marked in ash—and looked about. On the right, too, an unexpected show of green. The tree split in two was determined to live.…And then the impossible: hope. Profound, peaceful hope. Lifting a finger to the crevice in the wall, I knew. I knew that I would give the hope to Pierce, if I could. Every golden coin of it.“