Keep the Aspidistra Flying"The aspidistra is the tree of life, he thought suddenly." "You're dishonoured, somehow. You've sinned. Sinned against the aspidistra." "You talk a great deal about aspidistras," said Ravelston. "They're a dashed important subject," said Gordon." George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying Keep the Aspidistra Flying, first published in 1936, is a socially critical novel by George Orwell. It is set in 1930s London. The main theme is Gordon Comstock's