# July 11th explained — Elizabeth and Her German Garden > Chapter companion for Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim. ## What happens The narrator reflects on the challenges of visitors, the madness of the gardener, the drought affecting her garden, and a Sunday spent with her children discussing angels and biblical stories. She finds solace in the garden despite its disappointments. ## Themes in this chapter ### Nature and Gardening as a Source of Joy The garden provides peace and solace despite drought, neglect, and the gardener's madness; the narrator finds comfort in its beauty. ### Motherhood and Childhood The narrator interacts with her children, especially the April baby, answering their questions about angels and biblical stories, revealing the challenges and joys of parenting. ### Solitude vs. Society The narrator laments the intrusion of visitors who disrupt her enjoyment of the garden, contrasting the peace of solitude with the annoyance of social obligations. ## Character check-ins ### Elizabeth The narrator, who manages the garden and household, deals with visitors, the gardener's madness, and her children's theological questions. ### Irais The only remaining visitor, a thin, frail, intelligent woman who sings beautifully and eats cabbage salad. ### April The April baby, who brings kittens for admiration and asks persistent questions about God and angels, showing a mischievous and imaginative nature. ### The Man of Wrath Mentioned indirectly as the husband; the narrator notes that visitors have left except one, implying his absence or presence. ### Parsons The local parson, who conducts services in a cold church and retreats to a box during chorales. ## Key lines > If it were not for the garden, a German Sunday would be a terrible day; but in the garden on that day there is a sigh of relief and more profound peace, nobody raking or sweeping or fidgeting; only the little flowers themselves and the whispering trees. Without the garden, German Sundays would be unbearable; in the garden, there is a deep, peaceful relief, with no one working, just the flowers and trees. _Highlights the garden as a sanctuary from the tedium of Sunday._ > The dejected gardener went mad soon after Whitsuntide, and had to be sent to an asylum. He took to going about with a spade in one hand and a revolver in the other, explaining that he felt safer that way. Shortly after Whitsuntide, the gardener became mentally unstable and was committed to an asylum; he carried a spade and revolver for safety. _Describes the gardener's descent into madness and the narrator's response._ > I have been much afflicted again lately by visitors—not stray callers to be got rid of after a due administration of tea and things you are sorry afterwards that you said, but people staying in the house and not to be got rid of at all. I have been greatly troubled by houseguests who linger, unlike casual visitors who can be politely dismissed after tea. _Expresses the narrator's frustration with prolonged visits._ > What a funny Mummy! she said, evidently much amused. She called me a funny Mummy, clearly finding the situation humorous. _The April baby's playful reaction to her mother's explanation about angels._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/elizabeth_and_her_german_garden_se/chapters/july-11th - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/elizabeth_and_her_german_garden_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/elizabeth_and_her_german_garden_se/chapters