The Snake Plant: A Symbol of Home and Belonging
What Is the Snake Plant?
The snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) is a hardy, low-maintenance houseplant known for surviving neglect, low light, and irregular watering. In People We Meet on Vacation, Poppy Wright mentions the snake plant in Chapter 16 as one of several “hardy” plants she bought—along with pothos and ZZ plants—that nevertheless died in her apartment. Later, in Chapter 34, during a period of self-reflection, she buys a plant as part of an effort to build a stable home. According to the novel’s context, the snake plant is inherited from her family, linking her directly to her past in Linfield.
Where the Snake Plant Appears
- Chapter 16 (This Summer): While tending to Alex’s back injury, Poppy laments, “I can’t even keep a houseplant alive. ... I got these hardy things, pothos and ZZ plants and snake plants—they’re, like, the kinds of plants they stick in lightless malls for months at a time and they still don’t die. Then they move into my apartment and immediately give up on life.” The snake plant here symbolizes her inability to stay put or commit to a place.
- Chapter 34 (late September): After starting therapy, Poppy buys “a plant, a book about plants, and a small loom” while searching for purpose. Though the plant type is unspecified, it echoes the earlier snake plant and signals a shift toward rooting herself. The inherited snake plant (from her family) reappears in the emotional arc as she confronts her Linfield past.
- Implicit appearances: The inherited plant is understood to be present in her family home or in her memory, representing the roots she tried to escape.
How Its Meaning Changes
Initially, the snake plant represents failure to commit. Poppy’s transient lifestyle—traveling constantly for work, never home long enough to water a plant—makes even the hardiest greenery die. The plant’s death mirrors her avoidance of deep attachments, particularly to Alex Nilsen. She can’t keep the plant alive just as she can’t sustain a relationship that demands presence.
As the story progresses, the snake plant transforms into a symbol of acceptance. By buying a new plant in Chapter 34, Poppy actively tries to create a home—an intentional act that contrasts with her earlier neglect. The inherited snake plant (from her family) forces her to acknowledge that she cannot outrun her origins. In the Epilogue, when Poppy and Alex live together in New York, she finds contentment in domestic life: “Home is wherever Alex is.” The snake plant, once a marker of her rootlessness, becomes a quiet emblem of the roots she finally allows herself to grow.
Character and Theme Connections
Poppy Wright
Poppy’s relationship with the snake plant parallels her fear of vulnerability. She travels to avoid stillness, but the inherited plant tethers her to Linfield and her past. Her eventual ability to care for a plant—and to accept Alex’s love—represents personal growth. The plant’s hardiness also reflects her own resilience; despite years of running, she survives and eventually thrives.
Alex Nilsen
Alex embodies stability. He owns a house, keeps a cat named Flannery O’Connor alive, and values routine. His rootedness contrasts with Poppy’s flightiness, and the snake plant’s survival in her care (or her decision to nurture a new plant) symbolizes the grounding he provides.
Themes
- Home and Belonging: The snake plant is a physical manifestation of “home.” Poppy’s failure to keep it alive reflects her struggle to define home as something other than escape. By the end, she learns that home is not a place but a person.
- Fear of Vulnerability: The plant’s death results from neglect—a metaphor for Poppy’s fear of getting too close. Nurturing a plant requires consistency and care, qualities she initially resists.
- Personal Growth and Change: Buying a plant in Chapter 34 marks a turning point. Poppy starts therapy, confronts her past, and eventually allows herself to be vulnerable with Alex. The plant’s survival (implied in the Epilogue) mirrors her own emotional blossoming.
- Memory and Nostalgia: The inherited snake plant links Poppy to her family and her childhood home. It becomes a tangible connection to memories she once tried to forget.
Study Questions with Answers
1. Why does Poppy mention the snake plant in Chapter 16, and what does this reveal about her state of mind?
Answer: Poppy mentions the snake plant while caring for Alex. She uses it as an example of her inability to keep anything alive because she is never home. This reveals her deep restlessness and avoidance of commitment—even to an easy houseplant. It also foreshadows her need to address the rootlessness that makes her unhappy.
2. How does the snake plant relate to Poppy’s career as a travel writer?
Answer: Poppy’s job requires constant travel, leaving her apartment empty for weeks. The snake plant’s death mirrors her transient lifestyle. The plant symbolizes the domestic life she avoids; her career enables her to keep moving rather than settling down. When she later switches to a human‑interest column, she chooses stability over constant movement.
3. What does the inherited snake plant (per the novel’s context) reveal about Poppy’s relationship with Linfield?
Answer: The inherited snake plant connects Poppy to her family and her hometown, Linfield. She initially tried to outrun her past by moving to New York and traveling constantly. The plant represents the roots she cannot sever. Accepting the plant—and by extension, her history—is essential for her growth. It forces her to confront the loneliness and bullying she experienced there and to realize that running away doesn’t erase the past.
4. How does Poppy’s eventual ability to care for a plant (or accept the inherited one) connect to her relationship with Alex?
Answer: Just as nurturing a plant requires daily attention, a lasting relationship with Alex demands consistency and presence. When Poppy buys a plant in Chapter 34, she is simultaneously beginning therapy and making space for emotional intimacy. By the Epilogue, she and Alex share a home, chores, and a life. The plant’s survival parallels the survival of their love—both require care, but both are hardy enough to thrive once Poppy stops running.