In the Garden of the North American Martyrs

In the Garden of the North American Martyrs Summary | Detailed Summary

In the Garden of the North American Martyrs begins by introducing its protagonist, Mary, a professor of History at Brandon College. Mary is a fearful woman who keeps her opinions to herself. At the beginning of her teaching career, she witnessed a brilliant professor lose his job after presenting an idea to the trustees of the college that they found offensive. Since this day Mary has been overly cautious. In the classroom, she carefully prepares lesson plans before she gives lectures. Instead of offering her point of view, she used the arguments and opinions of approved authors. Mary views herself as being on trial as a teacher and as a woman. More than anything, she is afraid of saying something that would be deemed scandalous. Years of keeping quiet make her fear silence. Mary feels she can no longer find the words to express her own opinions and imagines that trying to give her opinion would create silence in the room, because she would stumble over what to say.

At Brandon College Mary keeps to herself. The school's faculty has become broken into cliques. Even though she knows that many of the teachers dislike one another, she pretends not to know this information. To ensure that others do not think she is boring, she allows herself mild, harmless eccentricities. For instance, she memorizes the comedy routines she hears on records and the jokes she reads in books. Although others generally groan in response when they hear her recite these jokes, it does not stop her. Eventually, this response becomes the point of telling the jokes. Over time, Mary has created a version of herself that she presents at the College, a safe and predictable persona. Mary is a representation of the college itself, an institution, like a school mascot. Once in awhile, she questions whether she is being too careful, but nevertheless, she continues in the same way.

While Mary ages, her hearing begins to weaken, and she is forced to wear a hearing aid. She credits this deafness to the fact that she is always trying to catch what everyone is saying, not wanting to offend anyone. During the second half of Mary's fifteenth year at Brandon College, a meeting is called for faculty and students, in which it is announced that the school is bankrupt and will close. Mary discovers that the reason for the bankruptcy is that the school's financial manager made bad investments. Mary is shocked that someone would gamble with the school's money.

Mary applies for positions at a number of colleges but gets only one offer at a new, experimental college in Oregon. The institution is a one building college with a cheap student newspaper, no library books, and with lockers lining the hallway. Mary does admire the beauty of its countryside, but it rains all the time, and dampness causes Mary's hearing aid to short. The Oregon College fills her with dread in its own way. She fears talking to people when it rains, because her hearing aid might stop working. The constant downpours cause Mary's basement to flood and toadstools grow behind her refrigerator. Even worse, the constant rain causes Mary's health to decline, making her feel as though she is rusting out like an old car. She accepts that everyone will die but imagines that she is dying more quickly than most.

During her three years in Oregon Mary looks for another job but cannot find one until Louise, a co-worker from Brandon College, calls her. Louise has had success with a book she wrote on Louis III and works at a famous college in upstate New York. She tells Mary that one of the professors of History is retiring and asks Mary if she is interested in the position. Mary sends her resume and copies of her two books to the New York school. Louise calls back and tells her that an interview has been scheduled. Mary reads about the college's location and feels a familiarity. On the plane trip there, she feels like she is going home. Louise picks Mary up at the airport and drives her to the college. During the car ride, Mary explains the feeling of déjà vu that she gets from the area. Louise says that déjà vu is not real; it is just a chemical imbalance.

Louise confides in Mary, telling her that things are not working out with her husband and that she has a new lover. Her children are not taking the news well. They refuse to meet her lover, Jonathan. Much to Mary's surprise, Louise tells her that she must give a class tomorrow. Louise meant to tell her earlier but forgot. Mary is terrified. She doesn't have any material planned. Louise tells her to read from an unpublished article that she has written. Mary feels uncomfortable about parroting someone else's words, even though, in a way, she has always done this. Still, Mary agrees to read the article. She feels that this is a better option than freezing up during her lecture and experiencing the silence that she dreads.

The two women pull into the visitor's area. Mary will be staying in one of the visitor's cabins. Louise helps Mary bring in her belongings and offers an apology for not inviting her to her own home, because she will be staying at Jonathan's that night. A few hours after Mary goes to bed she is awakened by Louise. Louise is upset and angry. It seems that her lover has dumped her, causing insecurities to creep to the surface. She asks Mary to give her insight into how others see her. Mary offers kind, reassuring words in return. Louise asks to sleep on the couch, but neither of the women goes to sleep. When morning comes, Louise tells Mary she will send a student to show her around the campus.

Roger, an Earth Science major, arrives to show Mary around the school. Roger explains that the college is the exact replica of a college in England. During his tour he takes Mary to the Founder's building and recites the names of prestigious alumni. Mary is surprised by how seriously they connected the school's name with their graduate's accomplishments. At the college chapel, he shows her a plaque dedicated to former students who have died in wars. He continues his tour, showing Mary the gymnasium, three hockey rinks, and the library. Lastly, he shows her the power plant, containing an enormous machine that was designed by one of the school's professors. Roger comments that people view the school as old fashion. However, he disagrees, defending his point by commenting on the new presence of female students and teachers. He tells Mary that a new statute calls for the presence of at least one female applicant when the board is interviewing for new professors.

After the tour, Mary arrives at her interview promptly, but the room is empty. She notices her books sitting on the table. They are unopened. The binding has not even been cracked. Twenty minutes later, Louise arrives with the rest of the committee. Louise is the only woman among them. Dr. Howell, the department chairman, conducts the interview. He asks Mary about her time at Brandon College and her current job in Oregon. Louise points out that they are running out of time. Howell asks Mary if there is anything she would like to add before they conclude. Mary jokingly says that she thinks they should give her the job. The room is silent and everyone turns away from her. When this happens, Mary realizes they are not really considering her for the job. She had only been interviewed to fulfil the rule that Roger had mentioned to her.

After the interview, Mary asks Louise if she already knows who is being hired and Louise tells her that she does know. Mary asked why Louise brought her to the college. Louise admits that she was down and hoped that a visit from Mary would cheer her up. She also thought Mary might enjoy the trip. Mary tells Louise that she does not want to give the lecture, because it's pointless. Louise cautions her that it is a necessary part of the interview process and must be done. Predictable to Mary's need to meet everyone's expectations, she agrees to give the lecture.

In the lecture room the professors who interviewed Mary sit in the front row, and the rest of the room is filled with students. Louise walks up to the podium and introduces Mary. Mary decides to "wing it" during her lecture. Even though she is a little frightened, she walks to the podium, unsure of what she is going to say. She beings her speech by addressing that the room they are in used to be a Long House for the First Nations of the Iroquois. Two of the professors look at each other. They were told she would be covering a different topic, one based on Louise's article. Mary continues her lecture by describing the Iroquois in terms of their battle style. She says the fact that they had no pity was how they became so powerful. The professors whisper to each other, but Mary ignores this and explains the Iroquois' raids, describing their violence in detail. Howell jumps to his feet and yells, "That's enough!" Mary hesitates for a moment, but then she hears someone whistle in the hall outside, hearing notes that sound like birds. She proceeds with her lecture. Louise waves her arms and shouts, "Mary!" Mary ignores this. She has more to say. She turns off her hearing aid so she will not be interrupted again and finishes her lecture.