Lizbeth The Marigolds Analysis

In the short story “The Flowers”, Alice Walker sufficiently prepares the reader for the texts surprise ending while also displaying the gradual loss of Myop’s innocence. The author uses literary devices like imagery, setting, and diction to convey her overall theme of coming of age because of the awareness of society's behavior.

The marigolds symbolized her childhood and innocence, which were deeply treasured. Once Lizabeth destroyed the marigolds, she was no longer a child. In lines 134-137, she remarked, “For as I gazed at the immobile face with the sad, weary eyes, I gazed upon a kind of reality that is hidden to childhood. The witch was no longer a witch but only a broken old woman who had dared to create beauty in the midst of ugliness and sterility.” As a child, Lizabeth had childishly saw her as a witch who strangely wanted to grow beautiful marigolds during a terrible time, but she realized that Miss Lottie just wanted to create happiness for herself and anyone that happened to pass by and look at her marigolds.

Transitional states of maturity can be challenged or championed by unexpected discoveries which can be confronting or provocative. This is explored through Alice Walker’s 1973 prose fiction, “The Flowers”, as the protagonist’s view on the world is transformed due to the personal zemblanic discovery made. The short story explores the themes of loss of innocence and death in order to address cultural indifference and the prejudice experienced by certain groups within society, which in turn causes individuals to be effected negatively. Walker hopes to evoke sense of political and social reflection in her audience, hoping that intimate discoveries of past inequity by her readers will ensure cultural equity maintains future momentum.

In a simile, she compares gardening to “boxing… The wins versus the losses” (Hudes 16). Through this comparison, Hudes conveys Ginny’s deep desire for a sense of control and success in her life. This desire is fed by the memory of her father, who was only bearable when he was gardening. Specifically, the assertion of this desire for control is evident as she recalls that her father “was a mean bastard…” but “became a saint if you put a flower in his hand” (Hudes 15). From those experiences of dealing with her father, a psychological analogy between nature and peace was instilled in Ginny’s mind at a young age, and is what she relies on as an adult to handle her emotional trauma.

Alice Walker uses imagery and diction throughout her short story to tell the reader the meaning of “The Flowers”. The meaning of innocence lost and people growing up being changed by the harshness of reality. The author is able to use the imagery to show the difference between innocence and the loss of it. The setting is also used to show this as well.

Oscillating between the progression of life through the memories and experience of an individual is expressed through Gwen Harwood’s poem The Violets. The poem encapsulates the human experience as both integral to the formation of our perceptions of life and the timelessness that it provides to the audience. Gwen Harwood is able to create a text that goes beyond the way we respond, creating a deeper awareness of the complexity of human attitudes and behaviours.

Lee’s usage of the azalea show readers Maudie 's compassionate and understanding personality, while the white camellias to were used to show Mrs. Dubose 's innocence and discriminatory

These images show Wordsworth’s relationship with nature because he personifies this flower allowing him to relate it and become one with nature.

Some authors use transformations in stories to show readers how characters change for the better as they go through hard times or make bad choices. Eugenia Collier uses the transformation in her fictional short story, Marigolds, to show us the change of the main character, Lizabeth, as she changes from childhood to womanhood when she destroys Miss Lottie’s marigolds. The story flashbacked to when Lizabeth was about to turn fifteen in the Depression and took place in the poor neighborhood she lived in, where she and her friends picked on Miss Lottie for being the poorest. Collier uses characterization to show Lizabeth’s change from childhood to womanhood.

Flowers symbolize so many things in society nowadays. People receive and give flowers on several different occasions. Flowers are symbols of love, sadness, apologizes, excitement, passion, and many others. Flowers also play a big role in the story “Paul’s Case” written by Willa Cather. The main character, Paul, often gives special meaning to the flowers present in the story.

Lizabeth’s adult perspective in the story reveals that she learned about showing compassion. Lizabeth is showing sympathy for a person who is suffering or distressed in someway. The decision that displays the theme of the story is when Lizabeth decides to led a malicious at Miss Lottie’s marigolds. Lizabeth through

In “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier the coming of age short story where a now grown up Lizabeth reminisce her childhood especially going into Ms.Lottie’s garden. Ms. Lottie, who did not like children but treated her precious marigolds gets them destroyed by Lizabeth. After destroying them, Lizabeth realizes her errors believing she became a women in that moment. This short story has several literary device that are used in it to help deepen the meaning. The use of imagery, symbolism and metaphors in “Marigolds” helps the reader that it is important to not lose

The author uses the marigolds as a symbol but, their meaning varies between each character. To a young Lizabeth , the marigolds symbolise beauty in a place that it doesn't belong. These beautiful flowers anger a young Lizabeth because she thinks they didn’t belong in the old dusty town she grew up in. To an adult Lizabeth these flowers hold a different meaning, they now represent hope to her. These flowers hold a different meaning to Miss Lottie, to her they represented what was left of love, hope, and beauty in her life.

One day, Lizabeth comes home to her father crying about not having a job. This is really hard on Lizabeth because she describes her father as the “rock” of her family. After this, Lizabeth is feeling so many different emotions so she goes and destroys Miss Lottie’s marigolds. Lizabeth really regrets her actions afterwards but feels like this was her transition to

The flowers symbolize Paul’s position in society as an outcast. First, the flowers in the winter is like Paul in his community. For example, the flowers in the garden are “blooming against the sides of which the snow-flakes stuck and melted” (Cather). The snow-flakes on the flowers represents the coldness Paul receives from his teachers and neighbors because they express their aversion towards him and the flower he wears. Similarly, the blossoms are mock by the winter cold (Cather).