Rose bush scene

For reference: p. 70-75

The trend I'm noticing in this class so far is that authors love to talk about plants. Plants and nature have been motifs in literature for years and years, but it is fascinating that they continue to be used in different contexts. When I arrived to this particular section of the autobiography, I became perplexed. Usually one can decipher the intended analogy or significance of the use of plants, but I had no idea what to make of the whole rose bush ordeal. (I am really open to your interpretations)

Possibility #1: Roses are a symbol for the perceived intellectual beauty that is achieved through literacy/education, hence the reason that Essay and Wole are illustrated as caretakers for the flowers. They treasure the educational opportunities they have, and the beating of the goats shows Wole's determination to preserve his position in society.

Possibility #2: Roses stand-in for traditional Nigerian culture -- Wole and Essay preserve what is rightfully theirs and the incident with Odejimi shows what happens when countries try to colonize other countries. Odejimi took the rose without asking for permission, and colonizing countries never "ask for permission" either. You can try and put the country back the way it was prior to colonization, and you can say that you want to preserve culture, but the culture can never be restored to the original state.

That's just to get us started, I guess, but I am really confused. Especially with the ending scene on pg. 75, when Wole has apparently had one of those moments of disconnect between mind and body that results in the destruction of several of the plants. What is going on here? What does Soyinka want us to understand? Why would Wole destroy something so meaningful to him?