Hope for the Flowers

by Trina Paulus
(Book Review)
POSC 1013 Politics and Governance with Philippine Constitutions
Prudente, Cyril Claris P.

2009-01046-MN-0

BS Architecture V-1

Sir John Paul Martirez

Hope for the flowers is an example of allegorical reading which characters and events
symbolizes the ideas about human everyday living. It is written by Trina Paulus self-describe as an
advocate of organic farming, composting, holistic health and spiritual search. The book was first
published in 1972 which is somewhat about life, uprising and lots about hope for all kind of readers.
The two character of the story begin their quest about their life by attempting to climb to the top of the
caterpillar pillar without knowing whats waiting there and only for them to realize and fulfill another
destiny.
In our everyday living, some of us unintentionally but some people would try to purposely step
on and hurt others just to be on the top. They do not care if they have already crossed the boundaries,
degrading others life. Crab mentality - it is very common attitude of most of us not realizing that it is not
the true success in life but rather enjoying every challenges that we face, knowing ourselves, reaching
our goals in life and having our dignity without hurting others intentionally.
The story started when the main character Stripe a caterpillar burst from the egg got hungry
and got bored with his daily routine in life. He realize that there must be more than just by doing thing
repetitively. He finds so many new things and each fascinated him but nothing satisfied him. He met
other crawlers but they are all too busy to talk to him. Until he saw crawlers and looked for their goal
where he find out a great pillar of caterpillar each struggling up high into the air. He got curious why
everybody trying to be on the top and what was there. Without having any response from other
crawlers, Stripe decided to find out what was there and while he was there taking all the opportunities
to reach his goals until one day he met Yellow who have the same goal as him. But Yellow feels bad
about how they have to step on others just to achieve their goals. Until the two of them both agreed to
stop climbing and go back down the pillar. They live together. Love each other up to the point that they
really know each other but again, Stripes curiosity and decided he must get to the top of the pillar. He
asked Yellow to join him but the latter refused that says the goodbye. Stripe try to focuses himself and
drives to reach to the top that eventually resulted for him to be on the top of the pillar but results a big
disappointment for him. There is nothing for him there. He dont even gotten in to the sky. He just only
have a view of other caterpillars struggling to reach the top and to be in his place. However, while Stripe
attained his disappointments, Yellow follow her instincts, continues her life and met another caterpillar
emerges from a cocoon transformed into a butterfly and flies into the sky. It explain her the true
purpose of a caterpillar by being a butterfly, beauty of a butterfly and how she can achieve the same
goal to be on the top not by crawling but by flying and how a butterfly can be helpful to the others.
Yellow waited for Stripe as he come back and reaches the ground again. And it happen. By then, Yellow

shows Stripe her empty cocoon and eventually realizes what he needs to do. Stripe makes his own
cocoon while Yellow is waiting for him. Until finally Stripe emerges transformed into a butterfly and they
fly off and inspire other caterpillars together.
The purpose of the author in writing the story is to inspire the readers by relating our life to the
evolution of a caterpillar. Most of us can relate to the main character - Stripe which burst from an egg
that protected him for some time, live everyday life without worries, we were all babies taking care and
protected of by our parents, faced daily life carefree living and do the routine repeatedly. But same with
Stripe, we were got bored and wanted to acquire and experience new things for that will satisfy our
ignorance in life in which this natural curiosity leads us to places and let us experience new things we
never have been and do the things we never imagined doing.
In our life, nobody knows where we really going. There is a lot of obstacles and challenges in our
daily life like how Striped was being snob by other crawlers, but the truth is we should not depend on
others, we should ask ourselves where we really want to go and continue our life. Until Stripe met
Yellow while he is the middle of the pillar which they concerted to help each other to be on the top.
Yellow is the character of the story that teaches us helping each other to achieve our goals in life is
much more better that continue stepping and pushing others just to fulfill these goals which was agreed
by Stripe at first. But because of his curiosity, he is not satisfied until he gets to the top of the pillar.
Most of us can relate to this characteristic of Stripe, sometimes we tend to be restless and do whatever
where we think we can acquire new things. Outcomes of our decisions are not always the way we think
of. Sometimes we feel disappointed by these outcomes but the good side is we always learn which we
can use as a shield to next challenges in life, we tend to be smarter and wiser in life. While for Yellow,
she chose to stand for her belief and continue to find her purpose in life without hurting others. The
two characters learned lessons to find themselves in a different manner but at the end of the day, they
still manage to retain the relationship they have and both transformed into a beautiful butterflies.
At first, I thought the story would be about our nature continuously dying and begging to the
readers to think and give importance to each around us. Though the beautiful and inspiring
transformation of a caterpillar is what the author used in the story, it still all about each and everybodys
life. The each and every one of us aim to be on the top. We strived everyday expecting that there is
something more beautiful and rewarding when we are on top, which sometimes gives us no choice but
to hurt other people around us, even those we were acquainted quite some time. We are all just like the
caterpillars in the pillar. But only few of us will be the same with Yellow and Stripe. Yellow which even
she knows that she is already in the middle of her goals, she chose not to continue if she the only way is
to stepped and pushed others but rather she find herself in some other ways in which she can still
achieve their goal to be on the top. While Stripe, at first he became agitated which resulted him to feel
disappointed, he reach the top of the pillar, yes, but he dont find the true achievement while he is on
top, he just realize how other caterpillar struggle and offend other just to be in place where there is
nothing really important. He dont even have a chance to be on the sky and the clouds. Most of us are
still the caterpillars in the pillar who continue to dont care about others just to fulfill our goals in life.
Of course, each one of use have our own meaning of happiness, and how we can achieve our
goals to fulfill this happiness but after reading this book - and I recommend this to everybody who can
read - young, adult and even caterpillars who can read -

this book will greatly give lessons to the

readers with its easy read and very creative presentation that sometimes the lines by the characters are
related to our life. After reading this, Im sure readers like me will make a second thought and realize
that life is not always about the achievements we have but how we achieve these goals, how many we
helped strived to bring out the best in their life and inspired while we are in the top of our
accomplishments and how many we stepped and pushed to the limits just to be in our place. It is still
how we can sleep at night peacefully without thinking that someone hurt because of us.