I found the use of gardens in both “On the Golden Porch” and “The Scent of Apples” interesting because, although on the surface they seem totally different, they both symbolize disillusionment and emotional turmoil throughout the seasons.

Tolstaya describes childhood as a garden, “without end or limit, without borders and fences, in noises and rustling, golden in the sun, pale green in the shade, a thousand layers thick” (41). Immediately I was struck by the short life of both a garden, especially through a Russian winter, and childhood itself. Though Tolstaya describes Uncle Pasha’s garden as his “Paradise,” the garden is also the setting for many of the familial conflicts with Veronika. This familial conflict begins the disenchantment of visiting Uncle Pasha that grows throughout the entire story.

The first introduction of a garden in the Bunin piece was similarly romantic to that of the Tolstaya: “the big garden, its dry and thinned-out leaves turning golden in the early light. I remember the avenue of maples, the delicate smell of the fallen leaves, and the scent of autumn apples” (3). Though Benin does not initially make implicit what gardens mean to the speaker, their beauty and impact are obvious. The speaker describes his Aunt’s garden as being famous for its “neglected state.” His Aunt’s home is also where he first claims to have felt serfdom, which is revisited when the author oversleeps his hunt.

The contexts of the stories still strike me as very different, but both introduce a nostalgic look at gardens and how the evolving life of a garden can be very similar to the ever-evolving human condition as it relates to changing societal behaviors and growing up.