The poem starts with the gardener waking from a dream and envisioning a garden full of flowers and fruits, representing an ideal world free from exploitation and inequality. The gardener's dream is an expression of the longing for a better future, a longing deeply ingrained in the proletariat.
As the poem progresses, Neruda introduces the right comrade, a personification of the revolutionary consciousness that guides the gardener's determination. The right comrade encourages the gardener to embrace their role as an agent of change and actively participate in the building of the garden, i.e., striving to create a just society.
Throughout the poem, the language used to depict the garden and the collective labor highlights the unity and collective effort required for social transformation. The metaphor of pruning and tilling the garden emphasizes the need for consistent struggle and collective effort. Neruda's description of the garden as "ours" and "shared" underscores the importance of solidarity and the rejection of individualism in achieving collective liberation.
The final lines of the poem offer a vision of ultimate harmony between the individual and nature. The gardener, representing the revolutionary spirit, finds peace and fulfillment in the lush, flourishing garden. This imagery implies the transformation of the individual's inner world through the cultivation of a just and thriving society.
In "The Hour of the Garden Right Comrade," Pablo Neruda crafts a powerful allegory of the revolutionary process and the transformative potential of collective struggle. The poem inspires individuals to embrace their role in creating a better future, envisioning a world devoid of inequality, and finding fulfillment in the fruits of their labor within a just and harmonious society.