The Seed Keeper

Seeds are the most important concept in this work, as seen in the title. They represent life, survival, culture, and evidence of the past, as well as hope for the future. The “seed keeper” is the person tasked with preserving the lineage and legacy and knowing the conditions to help the plants, and thus the people, flourish. As Rosalie learns, seeds contain the promise of new life and the nutrients that will help the seedling grow until it can start creating food and energy on its own. Just as human children start as embryos, the seeds are children that need care in order to grow. They are in stasis until the conditions are right.

Rosalie plans to start a garden after finding Edna’s seed packets. She feels “the quickening in the seeds when they were exposed to the light, when they felt the warmth of [her] hand” (111). “Quickening” is a term that describes the point in pregnancy when the fetus can be felt moving, linking plant and human life. Not long afterward, Rosalie discovers she is pregnant too, for she has the right conditions for growth—a stable home situation and a caring partner. The novel ends with a prayer to “Love the seeds as you love your children, and the people will survive” (361).