George Orwell wrote, “Keep the Aspidistra Flying” in 1936. He used it as a vehicle to comment on the British middle class during the years between the wars. As is fairly common with Orwell, the work is somewhat autobiographical as it tells the story of Gordon Comstock, a man who came from a successful family, but one whose fortunes declined with that of Britain.
Gordon Comstock has a relatively good career as an advertising copywriter. Unfortunately, he believes that he is a better poet (he is not). He longs for the life of a poet, where he sees poverty as chic, morality as easy, and socialism abounding. He twists himself into believing that continuing his copywriting career will doom him to a mundane (but respectable) existence, complete with an aspidistra plant in the window.
Gordon has a long-term relationship with Rosemary. He does not particularly wish to marry her, but does want desperately to enjoy the more intimate benefits of marriage with Rosemary. This is sketched as a war of sorts between them, reflecting the bohemian versus the respectable.
Gordon also wars against what he sees as the obsession of money, and with money, and class. He leaves his job and begins to live the poet’s life as he imagined it. Freed somewhat from the conscience of the respectable, he takes Rosemary to bed and eventually impregnates her.
Faced with increasing poverty, a realization that his poetry is very bad, and an understanding that he does love Rosemary and needs to do right by her, Gordon succumbs. He resumes his advertising job, marries Rosemary and settles in. He comes to realize that this is what he had wanted all along.
