The Amulet of Samarkand

The Underwoods’ garden is a recurring symbol in the narrative that supports the overarching theme of Social Displacement and the Loss of Community. Initially, the garden at the back of the Underwoods’ home is a place of solace and fortification for Nathaniel. It is the only space within his new environment where he does not have to respond to any of the expectations or demands of his imposed role as an apprentice magician. As he observes, it is “a place of temporary solitude and retreat. No lessons [take] place there. It ha[s] no unpleasant memories” (65). The serenity he experiences within this garden is his only reprieve, as he is very rarely able to leave the premises of the Underwoods’ home. Without any of Arthur’s pressure or Nathaniel’s own expectations to excel, the garden becomes a space where Nathaniel can allow himself to wonder and dream. It even physically contains a representation of his ambitions: to be an important and powerful magician like William Gladstone.

In Nathaniel’s fight against Simon, the meaning of the symbol changes. The memory of the garden, now lost to the fire, becomes his touchstone to finding his focus and his confidence.