Summary Of The Door In The Wall By Hg Wells

Wells paints a vivid picture of the enchanted garden, a major location in “The Door in the Wall” using descriptive imagery. What first attracted Wallace to the green door was the surroundings it was placed in. “There was, he [Wallace] said, “a crimson Virginia creeper in it--all one bright uniform crimson in a clear amber sunshine against a white wall” (2). The imagery conjures up an enticing comparison between the stark, white wall and vibrant red of the Virginia Creeper that allows the reader to understand why Wallace was so intrigued. Wells goes on to describe, “There were horse-chestnut leaves upon the clean pavement outside the green door. They were blotched yellow and green, you know, not brown or dirty” (2). The indication of the leaves being colorful and not “dirty” suggest that what lies behind the green door would be pleasant. Giving into his curiosity, Wallace opens the green door. Consequent to opening the door, Wallace enters an idyllic, enchanted garden. “It was a world with a different quality, a warmer, more penetrating and mellower light, with a faint clear gladness in the air, and wisps of sun-touched cloud in the blueness of the sky” (3). The tone Wells sets in this quote is warm, happy, and light. This imagery enables the reader to look at the enchanted garden from Wallace’s point of view to see why it was so difficult for Wallace to leave the garden.