Narrative and non-narrative structure in The Orchid Thief

Orchid Thief: An Exercise in Narrative and Non-Narrative Subversion

According conventional genre expectations of fiction and non-fiction, most readers assume that nonfiction provides factual information regarding historical events in a documentary and provable fashion, without recourse to constructed dramas in the form of dialogue or long character descriptions. In contrast, the same reader might turn to a work of fiction, although fiction might not be technically accurate, to learn as well. Through the use of dialogue and flights of fantasy in narration, fiction provides insight into the human character.

The non-fiction work by Susan Orlean, entitled The Orchid Thief, however, provides ample examples of the use of non-narrative and narrative exposition. The work thus has both the expository quality of non-fiction combined with the character-driven psychological drama of fiction. Orlean is writing about an event that actually happened, thus she writes in the tones of non-fiction, in an expository fashion. But this real-life obsession has its roots in the psychologically strange and inexplicable. Unless one understands the real-life protagonists' struggles and problems and internal conflicts, the events and the obsessions seem inexplicable. Thus narrative and non-narrative sequences are combined to provide the maximum amount of illumination upon the event.

The nature of this psychological obsession Orlean chronicles is that of pilfering rare flowers, namely orchids. Orlean begins her work of prose as she heads down to Florida to investigate the story of John Laroche, plant purveyor who is what is politely termed "eccentric" by the author and those around him. He has been arrested along with a crew of Seminole Indians for poaching rare orchids out of a South Florida swamp. Laroche becomes the book's 'hero' or main protagonist to highlight the larger phenomenon of humanity's obsession with this rare plant.

However, without Orlean's larger background narrative regarding the history of orchid obsessions, this would simply be a 'hot house' flower of a tale -- unusual, but with no larger horticultural or psychological significance. For instance, the main protagonist went through many 'collecting' obsessions before settling upon flowers, including turtles, and when it comes to orchids, "Laroche went from wanting pictures of orchids to wanting orchids themselves," thus illustrating the nature of orchid collecting and collecting in general as something that exists deep within some human characters. By a contraposition of the history of orchid collecting in a non-narrative fashion with the narrative history of Laroche, Orlean illuminates an unusual man and shows him to be an example or a larger psychological phenomenon that has the potential to exist within many human beings.

In a narrative fashion as well, Orlean becomes a protagonist in her drama. For instance, as a result of her reporter's fascination with Laroche, Orlean finds herself hiking through the swamps of South Florida. Her view of Laroche as a reporter is sympathetic enough that she is able to make him human, yet distanced enough that she is able to make this real life character into an individual of fictional intensity and visual aplomb worthy of Dickens.

Even in some of the non-narrative or non-dramatic segments Laroche appears like caricature as well as a character. When Orlean first meets him in one of the narrative sequences, he is described upon her meeting him as "a tall guy, skinny as a stick, pale-eyed, slouch-shouldered, and sharply handsome, in spite of the fact that he is missing all his front teeth," with "posture of al dente spaghetti and the nervous intensity of someone who plays a lot of video games." She notes that he is called by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, a "Crazy White Man" and a" Troublemaker." Perhaps the combination of the finicky quality of orchid obsession, self-pride, and foolish daring comes clearest when this character first comes before the court, accused of a crime. In this narrative, dialogue-driven sequence, "Laroche sauntered to the center of the courtroom. He jutted out his chin. He spoke in a rasping, draggy voice. He stuck his thumbs in his belt loops and said, 'I've been a professional horticulturist for approximately twelve years. I've owned a plant nursery of my own.... I have extensive experience with orchids, and the asexual micropropagation of orchids under aseptic cultures.' Then he grinned and said to the court, 'I'm probably the smartest person I know.'"

Without the factual, non-narrative point-of-view offered by Orlean as a reporter, however, such a character, as well as the other orchid obsessed individuals, the simple nature of horticultural obsession itself would be unbelievable or lose its intensity after a few short scenes. Her non-dialogue driven description, occasionally blends with interviews and recorded dialogue, as during the aforementioned court scene, in such a seamless fashion, however, the reader accepts Orlean's opinions without question. Consider how she says of her 'hero,' "He went to high school in North Miami, but beyond that he is self-taught. In fact, it is almost impossible to imagine him in a classroom.... He went to high school in North Miami, but beyond that he is self-taught. In fact, it is almost impossible to imagine him in a classroom." This is a highly contestable statement, but because Orlean's non-narrative tone is just as authoritative as her narrative tone, one accepts descriptions of the protagonist's attendance at high school and his iconoclastic character as equally verifiable.