Flowers Symbol Analysis

In “Real Time,” flowers symbolize the importance of traditional mourning rituals in Indian society, and the limitations of those rituals in helping people process complex emotions like grief. In the story’s opening, as Mr. Mitra and Mrs. Mitra drive to a mourning ceremony for Anjali, a relative who has recently committed suicide, they discuss whether or not it’s appropriate to bring flowers given the nature of the woman’s death. Uncertainty over this question causes Mr. Mitra to feel like “a distraught child,” but Mrs. Mitra eventually directs him to “do what you’d do in a normal case of bereavement.” This early encounter shows how unmoored Mr. Mitra feels when he's unsure what rituals are appropriate, and establishes that flowers are a socially accepted gift for grieving families.

Mr. Mitra takes some comfort in the familiar process of purchasing flowers and haggling with the vendor over their price, but as soon as he brings them back to the car, they seem unwieldy and useless, leaving a damp smear on the seat when he puts them down. When Mr. and Mrs. Mitra arrive at the mourning ceremony, Anjali’s father, Mr. Talukdar, accepts the flowers without thanking the couple or even remarking on them. As soon as he presents the gift, Mr. Mitra again feels anxious and unsure how to behave at the gathering. Even though Mr. Mitra has done the socially appropriate thing, he doesn’t feel any closer to Mr. Talukdar, nor does the other man appear comforted at all. In other words, the flowers aren’t actually serving their intended purpose of helping people grieve.

In the story’s final paragraphs, Mr. Mitra uses the bathroom and observes a box printed with flowers among the room’s many fussy accessories. The purpose of this box is to obscure the bathroom’s function, and looking at it makes Mr. Mitra shiver “involuntarily,” even though he doesn’t know what exactly is disturbing him. While Mr. Mitra can’t quite make this connection in his mind, the decorative flowers gesture at the limitation of the real ones: like other traditional rituals, the real flowers don’t provide comfort to the bereaved family but rather allow Mr. Mitra to avoid grappling, even internally, with the tragedy of Anjali’s death and the reality of her family’s grief. Ultimately, the flowers’ symbolism suggests that a society which prioritizes social propriety and its preservation above all else will stunt the interior lives of individuals like Mr. Mitra.