Interpretation

Effective Literary Non-fiction: The Orchid Thief in Context

Literary non-fiction is an interesting and expansive genre of literature that covers a wide array of themes and topics. To relate the genre to an appropriate piece of literature and identify key traits can be a rewarding endeavor. Susan Orlean’s personal account in The Orchid Thief is a perfect example to perform this kind of comparison. Orlean’s story is a short nonfiction account of her interaction and admiration of “the orchid thief” himself (a man named Laroche) and his perspective on passion, specifically that regarding orchids. The Orchid Thief demonstrates three of the classic nonfiction forms clearly in the chapter entitled "Cloning the Ghost." Of the six key aspects of literary non-fiction, sense of place, biographical sketch, and slice of history are best represented by Orlean in this chapter. These three aspects clearly and effectively classify her account as a classic example of literary non-fiction.

Orlean’s attempts to draw the reader into the story begin with her vivid description of place. Sense of place in literary non-fiction is essentially the way in which an author attempts to instill a real feeling of being into the reader. Orlean does just this in the chapter “Cloning the Ghost”. Of the great examples the short chapter offers on the subject, one description stands out from the rest. Orlean writes, “It had gotten dopey and warm… and the light in and around the greenhouses was peculiar and still, as if it were captured inside a bubble, and all the sounds… were clear but blunted, like sounds inside a covered bowl” (Orlean 31), referring to Laroche’s friend’s property. Here Orlean seems to start with her feeling of how the place is, not with her physical assessment of the location. With her vivid terminology, Orlean communicates that the area is warm, humid, and still, but the feeling of such a place is much more effectively transferred to the reader. The actual place becomes more sensory for the reader and the story becomes more effective in demonstrating the tenets of literary non-fiction.

One of many biographical sketches of Laroche further characterizes the book in this regard. Laroche’s personality is of central concern in The Orchid Thief. Orlean’s characterization of the man is both descriptive and candid, depicting Laroche in context of her interaction with him. Biographical sketch is essential to many literary non-fiction works as it works to help the reader understand a real person in a real sense, almost as if the reader had personally been acquainted with a character. On Laroche, Orlean writes, “He struck me as the late-sleeping, heavy-smoking, junk-food eating, law-bending type, whereas I am not…” (Orlean 29). In this excerpt the reader is introduced to specific aspects of Laroche as a contrast to Orlean, characterizing both individuals and bringing Laroche’s character into a more real light than if Orlean had simply offered bland details. The relation between the two brings the reader closer to the reality of Orlean’s situation. Laroche’s description here is a great example of biographical sketch as it pertains to literary non-fiction because it serves to deepen the reality of the story for the reader.

Depth of reality in literary non-fiction is further characterized by context, which the literary tenet slice of history provides. History is often taken for granted in one’s sense of reality, but in literary non-fiction it often provides an indispensable backdrop for many of the other tenets of the genre. Character’s actions seem more reasonable and places seem to have more character after a simple and short lesson on pertinent history is provided to the reader. Orlean writes about Hurricane Andrew and its effect on Laroche’s greenhouses, “In the hurricane two of the three greenhouses vanished entirely. The third more or less exploded… [Laroche] knew then and there that he would die of a broken heart if he ever opened his own nursery again” (Orlean 21-2). Here Orlean relates to the reader a bit on Florida, a real history lesson, both characterizing Laroche as a person and Florida as a place. To the reader, the place seems more like a dynamic environment existing beside the events of the story, not simply for their convenience. Orlean’s slice of history regarding Hurricane Andrew is a clear example of the literary tenet, and effectively serves to make the story more real for the reader.

Literary non-fiction at its best is a way in which a reader can vicariously experience a real thing, not just recount a series of facts regarding that thing. In the chapter “Cloning the Ghost” of The Orchid Thief, Orlean is very successful in relating her experiences through the literary non-fiction tenets of sense of place, biographical sketch, and slice of history. In this chapter, the places are vividly real, the characters come to life against a real background, and literary non-fiction shines through Orlean’s effective portrayal of her experiences. The Orchid Thief is a clear credit to the genre.

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Works Cited

Orlean, Susan. The Orchid Thief. New York: Random, 1998.