Saroyan William. The Parsley Garden and Other Short Stories

The parsley garden represents a world where everyone is at home, at peace, and can be in control of their lives; they are their own masters within the realm of the garden. People have always squashed bugs without another thought, and most of the bugs are perfectly harmless. In the short story Gaston one of the main characters, the father, does something odd - he doesn't squash the bug! Follow is heavily autobiographical and tells readers much about the writer’s early life, including his own urge to follow his father’s path to New York City. Going Home is a bitter story about a prodigal son unable to return home. The collection also includes a short Fresno Fable and the famous prologue to the play The Time of Your Life.