The Bear Came over the Mountain

Flowers are an ironic symbol in the text. When Grant brings Fiona a bouquet—a traditionally romantic gesture and something he admits he’s never done before—he feels cartoonish. Rather than accepting the flowers warmly, Fiona doesn’t remember him, and Grant discovers that she’s in a budding relationship with Aubrey. The romantic gesture is interrupted by the truth of the situation. They do not help Fiona remember who Grant is, nor do they encourage her to feel any amount of love. The flowers are a symbol of love and romance set in a situation where their effect is dulled or nonexistent, adding to the irony that the story conveys about conventional romance and love.

It is significant that the nurse refers to the flowers Grant is carrying as “Narcissus,” another name for daffodils. This is an allusion to the Greek myth of Narcissus. In the myth, a hunter known for his handsome appearance rejects all of his love interests, instead falling deeply in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. While there are several versions of the tale, many end with Narcissus dying in despair, leaving a crop of the flowers that now bear his name where his body fell.