A Story a Day #64: Luigi Pirandello

April 26th, 2020

"The Wreath"

Luigi Pirandello

An older man is walking through a garden by himself admiring the nature. He thinks for a second about going to get his wife to walk with him but decides against it. He thinks of her and how much younger she is than him. He is a doctor who remembers seeing her grieving when she lost the love of her life. She refused many proposals before eventually accepting his. While he is walking, the gardener approaches him and says that his wreath is ready. He never ordered a wreath but goes anyways. He suddenly remembers that today is the anniversary of the death of the younger man. At first, he is furious that she is still thinking of him and had done this. He goes to her and asks her to go on a carriage ride with him. She seems flustered but agrees. He brings the wreath down and she is distraught. They go to the cemetary to lay it on his grave, but she does not cry. Instead, she flings herself into his arms.

What I enjoyed most about this story is how it unfolds the details of this relationship. It begins simply by enjoying a garden, but soon the background of this man and his wife and their pasts begin to reveal themselves. I also found it interesting how this story constantly works against your expectations of what the characters are going to do. I thought the man would react aggressively, but he didn't. I thought the woman would be more upset, but she wasn't.