Destruction Of Childhood In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier

Destruction Of Childhood In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
Can bad issues from your own family cause you to destroy the goodness of someone else's life? Lizabeth grew up in a place where the community
wasn't the prettiest thing to look at nor, was it a good place to grow up in. In the short story Marigolds by Eugenia Collier in the genre of adulthood ,
you will see the relationship between Miss Lottie and Lizabeth and the difficulties of growing up culturally deprived .
Lizabeth grew up in a poor community because, her and her family was poor, the mother was the breadwinner of the household while the father stayed
home and took care of the kids while the mother was at work .Though they didn't have much they made use of what they had. They had fun by
making due of the little things that was around . "Let's go over to Miss Lottie's." "Let's go see can we find some locusts on the hill." The children
always found different things to do. People should understand that other less fortunate kids don't complain but make due of what they have and find
other things to do. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Don't take your anger out on someone else because, it isn't there fault. "The great need for my mother who was never there, the hopelessness of our
poverty and degradation ,the bewilderment of being neither child nor woman and yet both at once , the fear unleashed by my father's tears .And these
feelings combined in one great impulse toward destruction." " I leaped furiously into the mounds of marigolds and pulled madly , trampling and
pulling and destroying the perfect yellow blooms." Lizabeth then saw that her childish ways would leave an mental scar of shame because , she
decided to take her frustration out on Miss Lottie's marigolds
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Marigolds By Eugenia Collier Summary
This story is about a fiction story about approaching adulthood , Marigolds. Marigolds are a type of flower. These flower are import to a lady and
brings joy to her life during the great depression. Many americans 'experience poverty and unemployment. Marigolds was written by Eugenia
Collier. My story is going to explain to you how and why they were important and the theme. The first theme of the story Marigolds is that doing
something as a child can reflect on your adulthood. As a child Elizabeth dislike the flowers because the they made the house and the yard look
unorginized and weird. The house was run down and the yard was unhealthy, they were just living in poverty. Food was scarce and the kids wore
ragged clothes. All because

Short Story Marigolds
Eugenia Collier uses diction and imagery to create the voice of her narrator, Lizabeth, in her short story "Marigolds." Lizabeth has a negative tone in
the beginning of the story. The imagery she stated, "When I think of my hometown, all that I seem to remember is dust– the brown crumbly dust of late
summer–arid, sterile dust that gets into the eyes and makes them water (Collier)..." proves that she is unhappy to be in that place. There are a lot of
reasons why she is unhappy in that place and one of them is poverty. Lizabeth hinted that one of their struggles was poverty when she said "Poverty
is a cage in which we all are trapped, and our hatred of it was still the vague, undirected restlessness of the zoo–bred flamingo who knows that nature
created him to fly flee (Collier)." Lizabeth established the juxtaposition when she said, "And one other thing I remember, another incongruency of
memory–a brilliant splash of sunny yellow against the dust–Miss Lottie's marigolds (Collier)." She is stating that Miss Lottie's marigolds were the
only beautiful thing in that unsightly place. Those marigolds did not give her a pleasant feeling because she thought that they were too beautiful to
exist in that kind of place. Miss Lottie was believed to be a witch when Lizabeth was young but she knows she is mature enough not believe in those
things anymore. Their first encounter resulted in Lizabeth and her company destroying some of Miss Lottie's marigolds and they left Miss Lottie and
John Burke, her son, enraged. When she got home and went to her room hoping to rest after a long day, she overheard her parents talking. She heard
her dad say, " Twenty two years, Maybelle, twenty two years...and I got nothing for you, nothing, nothing (Collier)." She then realized that her father
got fired from his job and was not taking it too well after what they have been through. Maybelle, Lizabeth's mother, attempted to comfort her husband
by saying, "Honey, you took good care of us when you had it. Ain't nobody got nothing nowadays (Collier)." After a while of discussion Lizabeth's
father began to sob, loudly and painfully. At this point, LIzabeth is confused because she never heard a man cry before. She did not even know that
men cry.

Theme Of Marigolds
Adolescence is a bumpy and unknown section of the road known as life. Both the short story "Marigolds" by Eugenia Collier and the poem "Hard
on the Gas," by Janet S. Wong relate to the theme that "the road to growing up and maturing isn't always smooth". "Marigolds is the story of an
adolescent who is growing up in the Great Depression. Through hard experiences and tumultuous emotions, the narrator learns that growing up is
full of ups and downs. "Hard on the Gas" is a poem about a grandchild driving with his or her grandfather. The grandchild realizes that the road isn't
always perfect and that there will be bumps along the way. The theme "the road growing up and maturing isn't always smooth" is conveyed in both of
these selection. In "Marigolds" a young girl is growing up during the Great Depression. For Lizabeth, the narrator, everyday is a challenge. As she
transitions from an innocent, naive child to an aware, yet unsure young woman, the smooth road she's been traveling on suddenly becomes bumpy and
unfamiliar when a fit of anger taken out on her neighbor marks Lizabeth's growing up. "All the smoldering emotions of that summer swelled in me and
burst– the great need for my mother who was never there, the hopelessness of our poverty and degradation, the bewilderment of being neither child
nor woman and yet both at once...", (Collier, "Marigolds"). All of the emotions that Lizabeth has been holding in spill out of her in an audacious,
violent action that will exile her childhood; the destroying of Miss Lottie's prized marigolds.When Lizabeth realizes with remorse what she's done, she
gains the heavy burden of adulthood. "In that humiliating moment I looked beyond myself and into the depths of another person. This was the
beginning of compassion, and one cannot have both compassion and innocence", (Collier, "Marigolds"). When Lizabeth conveys that Miss Lottie had
planted marigolds as a show of passion and hope, she becomes compassionate towards Miss Lottie, ridding her of her childish innocence. While "Hard
on the Gas" is minimally worded, the meaning of the poem speaks volumes. The poem conveys growing up, and the fact that the road to adulthood is
not, in fact, smooth. "Rush, rest, rush, rest",

Marigolds Eugenia Collier Analysis
Harshil Gupta Thorsen English 9H September 10, 2017 Never Judge a Book by its Cover In "Marigolds" by Eugenia W. Collier, Lizabeth and the
children view Miss Lottie as an ugly and unpleasant woman prior to the ultimate destruction of the marigolds, and Lizabeth's understanding of Miss
Lottie changes when she realizes the struggle and hard times, Miss Lottie has live through. In order to pass their time during summer, Lizabeth and
the children hide in the bushes near Miss Lottie's house to annoy her and have some fun, and when Miss Lottie spots them and tells them to go away,
Lizabeth comes out of the bushes and chants (later joined by children), "Old witch, fell in a ditch, picked up a penny and thought she was rich!" (35).
Calling Miss

Summary Of Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
Lizabeth, the narrator of Eugenia Collier's short story, "Marigolds," tells the story from the point of view of an adult looking back on a significant
childhood experience. The narrator's voice is that of a teenager and is revealed throughout the story by the author's well–versed use of diction, imagery,
syntax, and juxtaposition. The narrator sets the tone by saying that she is recalling "that devastating moment when I was suddenly more women than
child" that occurred in her "impoverished, little community" (Collier 15) many years ago. Right away, the reader can sense that the tone of this story
will be sad, gloomy, and unhappy/depressing. Additionally, "Poverty was the cage in which we all were trapped, and our hatred of it was still vague....
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Also, from the narrator's diction, by using the word "devastating" (15), the reader knows that the event that occurred was unfavorable but quite
memorable. In the short story, Lizabeth was battling a conflict of being in the in–between stage of no longer being a child, but was not yet a women.
"The child in me sulked and said it was all in fun, but the women in me flinched at the thought of the malicious attack that I had led" (20), was an
example of how women and child were being juxtaposed. Equally important, the syntax displayed the voice of a teenager because there was a wide
variety of sentence structure. The sentence structure consisted of long and complex, short and simple, short and descriptive, long and descriptive, and
also consisted of well used imagery. The syntax being used was simple like a child, but also complex like an

Lizabeth's Struggle In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
Eugenia Collier created a story called "Marigolds," where a poor 14 year old girl named Lizabeth battles society and herself to overcome her
problems. Collier gave Lizabeth two conflicts: a man vs society and a man vs self. Lizabeth's external conflict, man vs society, involves her and her
family being in poverty because of the Great Depression. These times serves as the antagonist because they caused a lot of job shortages, and it just
so happened that Lizabeth's father lost his. At first, Lizabeth and her brother did whatever kids do. They played, hung out, and did not care about the
hardships they face. But Lizabeth later realizes the situation she is in when she overheard her parent's conversation of their struggle to find essentials.
In the conversation, Lizabeth's mother says that "everybody out of work now" in order to comfort her husband, who complained about not having a
job and not being able to support his family (Collier 128).... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
She experiences many different emotions all at once, which causes an uprising within herself. The inevitability of growing up proves to be the
antagonist in this conflict because Lizabeth knows she has to grow up, but her adolescent feelings pull her back. She was mixed up on what to feel
and when, but she had to get rid of one thing, whether it may be the Tadolescent feelings or the adult maturity. To find out, she went through with "one
great impulse toward destruction" (Collier 130). She ran over to the thing she hated the most, her neighbor's beautiful marigold flower garden. Her
being in poverty caused her animosity towards the floral field. The marigolds shone a light of hope on her ugly town, which ruined its darkness of
despair. So she violently pulled out each flower and along with it, her adolescent feelings. This defining moment left Lizabeth with nothing but
maturity, and was finally able to move forward to come of age without her childhood self pulling her

In the narrative,"Marigolds" by Eugenia Collier, is a story about Lizabeth, the narrator, tells a story from her childhood in a dusty Depression–era town.
The main characters were this story is taking place in a shanty town during a hot september, where the narrator tells a story about Miss Lottie.The
main conflict of the story is that a devastating moment in where Lizabeth, lose her innocence, her is past for a bad time and her not feel compassion
for anything and Miss Lottie feel only compassion for the flowers when she see that are destroying.The parents of Lizabeth are past by a bad time,
they argue in your room and Lizabeth and her brother listen aut when your father cry because he don't have job and your mother have is responsible for

Juxtaposition In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
In the story "Marigolds", a story by Eugenia Collier, the author uses the literary techniques of juxtaposition and symbolism to show the overall
message that during the coming of age and maturity in a world full of poverty and darkness, people always look for a light of happiness. The author
uses juxtaposition of the conversation of the mother and father to show how the darkness, which is represented by the father, is trying to destroy the
lightness, which is represented by the mother. In rage and pain of his poverty bent life, Lizabeth's father is clouded with darkness and fear, but
Lizabeth's mother a still hopeful and looking for something to bring joy to the family. Lizabeth's dad explains to Lizabeth's mother, "Twenty–two years,
Maybelle, twenty–two years, and I... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Ain't no man ought to eat his women's food year in and year out, and see his children running wild. Ain't nothing right about that." Maybelle
responds, "Honey, you took good care of us when you had it. Ain't nobody got nothing nowadays." This conversation between the mother and father
contrasts the differences between the parents personalities and displays, just like the differences between childhood Lizabeth and women Lizabeth.
Similarly to how Lizabeth's mother finds happiness in her family, Lizabeth found happiness in destroying other people's happiness. This
consequently led to her loss of innocence by destroying Miss Lottie's yard, but because of this she gained compassion in others and through poverty.
Marigolds represent happiness that sometimes have to be destroyed in order to lose innocence and gain compassion, but also the small feeling of
hope and joy when the whole world around you is dark and sinister. The author uses the technique of symbolism of the marigolds to display how when
people are so deep in depression and poverty, they look for something hopeful and happy to put or "plant" in their

Literary Elements In 'Marigolds' By Eugenia Collier
Marigolds Essay Do you remember of your childhood and can describe detail by detail everything? The author Eugenia Collier uses flashback,
imagery, and diction to help create the voice of Lizbeth. This story was written as a flashback because Lizbeth the main character was remembering
all and telling it. She explained some of the things in detail and used a lot of wording too. In all the story Lizbeth used literary elements.
In the beginning of the story Lizbeth says, "When I think of the home of my youth, all I seem to remember is dust..."(Collier 1). This quote is a
evidence of how Lizbeth is using flashback to start the story. She is going back to her youth life and starts to remember everything. After that she is
having some memories that make her feel something. "Whenever the memory of those marigolds flashes across my mind, a strange nostalgia comes
with it and remains long after the pictures has fared"(Collier 2). In this quote she is having memories of the marigolds and I think she feels nostalgia
because of the incident that happened back then. Although in some of the parts of her story you ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In most of the story the characters are describing things in detail that we can imagine. For example, " I remember fishing for minnows in a muddy
creek and watching sadly as they eluded my cupped hands, while Joey laugh uproariously" (Collier 8). In this quote Lizbeth is using words to
describe all the memory that she is remembering. Almost at the end of the story when Lizbeth was destroying Mrs. Lottie's marigolds a quote that is
describing imagery is "I leaped furiously into the mounds of marigolds and pulled madly, trampling and pulling and destroying the perfect yellow
blooms"(Collier 58). I choose the quote because when I read it I can picture that in my mind and that is what imagery is. The author used many more
words to create imagery in the short story

Lizabeths Development Of Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
Lizabeths Development Lizabeths character has developed quite a bit throughout the short story "Marigolds" by Eugenia W. Collier. At first she
was insecure in who she is. She became scared. By the end Lizabeth had developed regret. Llizabeth was insecure. She wanted to fit in and have
her friends like her. In the story she wanted to fit in and have her friends like her so she joined in with being mean to Miss Lottie. She was trying to
feel like she was cool Lizabeth was scared. She didn't realize at first that her family was in as bad of poverty as they were. She thought that it was
normal to be hungry, but when she realized how scared her father was she because fearful. She had never known men cry, so it made her confused.

Symbolism In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
Everyone both young and old knows that the years of childhood can be difficult to all. However, in some works, the message of growing up isn't
always clear. Symbolism is often used in fiction, such as in the story "Marigolds". The story is centered around the idea of growing up and finding
yourself within the years of one's youth. The entire piece of literature tells the story of Lizabeth. The character Lizabeth lives in a poor, low–class
town, and is young at the time the story is told. She lives with the desires to harass her elderly neighbor. But, this neighbor is who ends up being the
reason Lizabeth truly grows up. To start with, in the story "Marigolds" by Eugenia Collier, many believe marigolds are a symbol of happiness, hope,
and overall

All the Marigols And The Migrant Mother The Great Depression Era,a time in American history when the nation feel into a time of poverty and
hopelessness. People standing in lines for hours for a bowl of soup and a piece of bread.When jobs were few no matter how desperatly people
looked for them.Doing without and wondering if or when a better time would come. The story "Marigolds"by Eugenia Collier is the memories of
Lizabeth, a fourteen year old black girl in rural Maryland.When I think of that time and place ,I only remember the dry September of the dirt roads and
grassless yards of the shantytown where I lived.Memory is an abstract painting – it does not present things as they are,but rather as they feel. Another
inconsistency of memory, a brilliant splash of sunny yellow against the dust, Miss Lottie's marigolds. Lizabeth has a lot of memories.Fishing for
minnows with cupped hands just to have them slip away.Loafing around trying to find something to do.The Childrens favorit thing to do was to annoy
Miss Lottie.An old Indian woman they called a witch. Why ,when her shack seemed like it would fall down at anytime would she have beautiful
mounds of

Literary Devices In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
Eugenia Collier, the author of the short story Marigolds makes great use of literary devices such as imagery, diction, flashback, and juxtaposition in
a way that creates a voice for the narrator that conveys both the regret over, and possibly the longing for her childhood. The diction, that is, the
vocabulary choice is expertly combined with imagery, or the unique descriptions and sensory details, in order to allow the reader to formulate the
experiences and the surroundings of the narrator's childhood in their imaginations. Flashback is used to allow the narrator to not only explain how she
viewed the events of her past as a child, but to compare these views with her adult feelings of the same events. Juxtaposition aids in further explaining
the connection between the setting and emotions of the main character, creating a better picture of the narrator's life. These elements all combine to
construct a narrative that effectively conveys the coming of age theme. The first literary devices that are to be discussed are diction and imagery.
Diction is the vocabulary demonstrated by the author, and how the objective and subjective meaning of the words and phrases the author chooses to
utilize help construct and expand the narrative. An example of diction used uniquely by the author can be seen in paragraph twelve of Marigolds when
this sentence is used: "the idleness whose prospect had seemed so beautiful during the busy days of spring now had degenerated to an almost

Marigolds By Eugenia Collier Essay
Elements of a Short Story Essay Living in poverty and having to face one's crumbling society is extremely stressful. In Eugenia Collier's short story,
"Marigolds," the main character, Lizabeth, and the other citizens of the town she lives in, including her parents, her friends, and Miss Lottie, must
learn to cope with that stress, and in Lizabeth's case, learn how to deal with the effects of maturation. The different types of conflict within
"Marigolds" are man versus man, man versus society, and man versus self because Lizabeth has to face peer pressure, the living conditions brought
by the Great Depression, as well as the development of her own emotions. Due to the lack of entertainment, Lizabeth and her friends have to resort to
bothering Miss Lottie for fun, and they compel Lizabeth to ransack the marigolds Miss Lottie pours her love into. At first, she is hesitant to perform
such an immature act, but her friends continue to taunt her, jeering, "You scared, Lizabeth?"(Collier 3). Their attitude influences her negatively;not
only does it encourage behavior that is pointless and problematic, it also makes Lizabeth feel as if she is somehow less of a person if she does... Show
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The desire to continue seeing the world through rose–tinted glasses despite any occurrences that may force one to do otherwise is understandable;most
individuals have likely experienced this emotion at least once in their lives. This type of conflict is man versus self because Lizabeth is uncomfortable
with this change, as she wants to continue to have fun with the mind of a child but cannot help but feel guilty for her actions. As a result of the
problems she faces, Lizabeth becomes

Summary Of Marigolds By Eugenia W. Collier
In Eugenia W. Collier's short story, "Marigolds," the narrator's experiences support the idea that one cannot have both compassion and innocence. The
story is written in first person by a woman named Lizabeth who is recalling some life–changing events from her childhood, in which she undergoes
significant internal conflict and change. "I recall that devastating moment when I was suddenly more woman than child, years ago in Miss Lottie's
yard," (Collier, 1). Lizabeth was eventually able to grow and see the world from a more mature and realistic point of view. The events experienced by
the protagonist allowed her to realize for herself that she could not remain innocent while having compassion. In the beginning of the memory, Lizabeth
is childish... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This quote is from a night when Lizabeth could not sleep and heard her father crying for the first time. It was important for her because it helped
her realize the gravity of her family's situation. She was starting to see everything differently, a little more broken. Collier remembers thinking, "The
world had lost its boundary lines. My mother was now the strength of the family; my father was sobbing like the tiniest child," (4). She is unsure of
what to make of the situation and is experiencing a great deal of internal conflict with herself. She is afraid and does not know what to do, so she goes
to Miss Lottie's with her little

Loss Of Childhood In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
In Marigolds by Eugenia Collier, Lizabeth is a 14 year old girl during the Great Depression. She spends her days playing with the other children and
occasionally annoying Ms. Lottie, a grumpy, old lady that is very protective of her marigolds. One day the children throw rocks at Ms. Lottie's garden
and taunt her. That night she hears her father sobbing, this combined with the guilt of mocking Ms. Lottie is too much for Lizabeth, and in a state of
emotional unrest she runs to Ms. Lottie's garden and destroys it. Lizabeth reminisces on this moment and recognizes it as her last act of childhood. In the
short story "Marigolds", Eugenia W. Collier uses theme, characterization, and conflict to show the challenges Lizabeth faced as she loses her innocence
and matures. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
For example, after Lizabeth tears up the marigolds she sees Ms. Lottie and notes that, "Whatever verve there was left in her, whatever was of love
and beauty and joy that had not been squeezed out by life, had been there in the marigolds she had so tenderly cared for." (6) This quote shows the
compassion that Ms. Lottie had for her flowers. The hope the marigolds symbolized angered Lizabeth, because, in her innocence, she envied the
happiness the flowers gave Ms. Lottie. When Lizabeth saw Ms. Lottie's face she lost her innocence and understood why Ms. Lottie planted the

Analysis Of The Poem ' Marigolds ' By Eugenia Collier
Lizabeth Analysis Essay
In beginning of "Marigolds," by Eugenia Collier, Lizabeth is indirectly characterized childish and disrespectful as she shows that doesn't really care
about anybody other than herself. In the story, Lizabeth mentions an event in which she did not act like a child and calls it "devastating" Since
Lizabeth finds the idea of maturing devastating, Lizabeth's motivation is that she does not want to grow up. Since she does not want to grow up, she
creates an internal conflict for herself. As the story progresses, Lizabeth and her friends are looking for something to do and they come to the idea to
terrorize their neighbor, Miss Lottie. The story states," The idea caught on at once, for annoying Miss Lottie was always ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Lizabeth begins to talk about what her family life is like. The passage states,"I did not notice my father's silence, for he was always silent these days,
nor did I notice my mother's absence, for she always worked well into evening." (220). Lizabeth's family life has a huge influence on why she does
not want to grow up. Seeing what her parents have to live through prevent her from having any hope and indirectly characterizes her as hopeless.
That night, Lizabeth hears her parents arguing about how hard living is. She hears her father break down into tears (221). This was the last straw for
Lizabeth. After hearing what her parents had to say in their conversation, she comes to the conclusion that if her life is not fair, then the life of others
should not be fair either. The conclusion that Lizabeth comes to indirectly characterizes her as depressed as she feels as if her life is empty. Her
conclusion also further develops Lizabeth's self–centered character trait. Although there are people that have life worse than Lizabeth, she does not
view it that way.
At the end of the story, Lizabeth changes into a better person as she begins to learn the same philosophy Miss Lottie lived by. Since Lizabeth views
her life as an epitome of failure, she decides to make Miss Lottie's one as well. After Lizabeth hears her parents arguing, she decides to destroy all of
Miss Lottie's hope by destroying her marigolds. She destroys a good

Throughout the story "Marigolds" written by Eugenia Collier, the main character Lizabeth who is faced with poverty while experiencing life in the
Great Depression faces many conflicts. This results in Lizabeth having a dramatic change throughout the story. My first point is that Lizabeth can be
described as childish and bothered in the beginning of the story. As evidence, line 180–181 state "We had to annoy her by whizzing pebbles into her
flowers." In these lines Lizabeth, Joey who is her brother, and a few of the kids in the neighborhood were inattentive, as a solution they decided it
would be a good idea to mess with one of the elders who is seen as an outcast in their town, Miss.Lottie. As a cause, Miss.Lottie owned bright yellow...
One night as Lizabeth was trying to sleep, she overheard her father crying over that fact that he could not financially support his family, this baffled
Lizabeth because she has never witnessed any man let alone her father cry. "I had never heard a man cry before. I did not know men, even cried."
(Lines 276–277) Consequently,this scared Lizabeth and as an effect she woke her younger brother Joey, who had already been asleep and told him to
come with her. Lizabeth led Joey all the way to Miss.Lottie's house and Joey was very confused because he had no idea what Lizabeth had in mind.
Furthermore, emotions traveled through Lizabeth "The great need for a mother who was never there, the hopelessness of our poverty, and
degradation." (Lines 326–328) Once Lizabeth arrives at Miss.Lottie's house she had done the unthinkable. "I leaped furiously into the mounds of
marigolds and pulled madly." (Lines 333–334) Unfortunately, Lizabeth had taken all her stress and sadness, and anger out on the one object that
represented hope, the marigolds. Suddenly, all Lizabeth's enraged anger calmed down. She felt guilt as she was face to face with Miss.Lottie and
realized what she had

Beauty In Marigolds, By Eugenia Collier
In the short story, "Marigolds," by Eugenia Collier, the theme that is shown through the story is, "Beauty can be found even in the darkest times."
An example of this theme is represented through Lizabeth's thoughts after she tears apart Miss Lottie's marigolds. As Miss Lottie looms over
Lizabeth, she thinks, "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. She had been born in squalor and lived in it all her life" (Collier 223). This shows Lizabeth's realization that the "witch" she had known for
all her childhood years was simply a woman who wanted to create beauty through her wretched condition. From this, Lizabeth feels ashamed of why
she had chosen to tear apart Miss Lottie's marigolds... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The marigolds symbolizes beauty throughout the story. The time period of the story was during the GreatDepression, from 1929–39, and as the text
describes it, "The Depression that gripped the nation was no new thing to us, for the black workers of rural Maryland had always been depressed"
(Collier 214). This represents how life must've been during the time, with every man and women depressed and silent. However, Lizabeth still
remembers, through all the bland memories of brown dust, the vivid memory of Miss Lottie's marigolds. She recalls the marigolds as, "...a brilliant
splash of sunny yellow against the dust..." (Collier 213). This symbolizes the beauty and significance that Miss Lottie's marigolds had towards
Lizabeth's time during the Great Depression. In such way, through the haze of darkness, shines the beauty of Miss Lottie's marigolds. In conclusion, in
the short story, "Marigolds," the theme that is represented throughout the story is, "Beauty can be found even in the darkest times." This theme can be
represented through Lizabeth's thoughts, and through the importance and meaning that Miss Lottie's marigolds

"Marigolds", by Eugenia Collier is a story about the coming of age. The story takes place in the 1930s in a small town in Maryland. It describes the
Lizabeth and her friends torturing their old neighbor, Ms. Lottie, by destroying her flowers. They say that the flowers are too perfect for their boring
world. Later in the story, Lizabeth changes for the better. This is due to hardships in her life and her learning to sympathetic towards others. Collier
creates Lizabeth as a child–like character in the beginning, and changes her to become mature and compassionate by the end, showing the process of
adolescence and transforming into a woman. Lizabeth is innocent throughout most of the story. She shows the transition from childhood to adulthood....
Afterwards, Lizabeth hears her parents discussing their poverty, and her father who never cries was crying. She thinks "Everything was suddenly
out of tune, like a broken accordion. Where did I fit into this crazy picture?" (4). Lizabeth is a little bit confused by this because of the adult topics
her parents are talking about, but she still acknowledges this. Little children wouldn't put this together like Lizabeth did. She then thinks her life
isn't so perfect anymore. After what she calls her "...last act of childhood" (5), she thinks, "The witch was no longer a witch, but a broken old
woman who had dared to create beauty, in the midst of ugliness and sterility" (5). This quote is right after Lizabeth sneaks out of the house and
destroys Ms. Lottie's flowers with her hands. Ms. Lottie comes outside and is not angry with Lizabeth. She transitions from thinking Miss Lottie is a
witch to a strong old woman because she realizes her act was childish and selfish. Lizabeth thinks that "...was the moment when childhood faded and
womanhood began" (5). She is compassionate towards Ms. Lottie because she finally understands her act of bringing beauty back into the desolate
world. This is shown by her later in life saying "And I too have planted marigolds"

The Loss Of Innocence In 'Marigolds' By Eugenia Collier
Marigolds: The Loss of Innocence In life, it is important to always have a positive outlook when it comes to negative situations. ––––In the short story,
"Marigolds" by Eugenia Collier, the main character, Lizabeth, changes from a childish girl to a mature young adult when she realizes the pain she
brought to Mrs. Lottie when her marigolds were destroyed. Her repressed feelings from her father's breakdown, the hopeless of her financial standing,
and her mind's confliction between immaturity and maturity causes her to commit her last act of childhood, which was ruining Miss Lottie's
marigolds. After seeing the pain in Miss Lottie's eyes, Lizabeth finally understood the true meaning behind the marigolds and its importance to Miss
Lottie. In the... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Seeing her strong father cry in the middle of the night because of the shame he felt in not being able to support his family influenced Lizabeth to
destroy the marigolds in Miss Lottie's yard. When Lizabeth overhears her father complain to her mother, Lizabeth feels that before her father was
strong like a rock and her mom was fragile, now everything has changed and her dad is broken into pieces. The man of the household is breaking
down, and does not know where he stands anymore nor does Elizabeth. "The world had lost its boundary lines. My mother, who was small and
soft,was now the strength of the family; my father, who was the rock on which the family had been built, was sobbing like the tiniest child.
Everything was out of tune, like a broken accordion" (20). When Elizabeth realizes that her father cannot support her family devastates her and
Elizabeth is broken by that realization. She does not have a stable set of parents who can even rely on each other or themselves, leaving her to feel lost
and hopeless. Elizabeth becomes insecure by the fact of her father crying. When she realizes she cannot stand anymore confusion in her family, she
goes to wake her brother up and then vents out her angst on the marigolds and this also shows some immatureness in Elizabeth. Collier also uses
elements of characterization like the character's thoughts and actions, to show

Compassion And Innocence In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
Nihal Paidipelly " After our few chores around the tumbledown shanty, Joey and I were free to run wild in the sun" (pg.1). In the story "Marigolds"
by Eugenia Collier, Elizabeth is described as immature, carefree, and confused. Throughout the story Collier shows Elizabeth's growth mentally from
a girl to a woman while she matures. In "Marigolds" the narrator's experiences illustrate the theme that one cannot have both compassion and
innocence. The first experience that the narrator has that shows that she cannot have both compassion and innocence is when she is hurt by her own
actions toward Miss Lottie. It is shown when the narrator said " Suddenly I was ashamed" (pg.2), that the narrator is losing her innocence that let her
do silly things like teasing Miss Lottie while gaining a true compassion for Miss Lottie as she feels bad for Miss Lottie because of what she did.
Instead of shaking the guilt off by going back with the other kids she sat at home and sulked which showed how much her own actions were starting to
mean to her. She realized that all this time the reason that she tormented Miss Lottie was that she couldn't understand without losing her innocence as
one cannot have both innocence and compassion.... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This is described on page 4, " My mother, who was small and soft was now the strength of the family". This shows that Elizabeth has finally
understood her family's condition due to her newfound compassion. Throughout the story Elizabeth was a carefree girl who never really understood
the state her family was in but now, due to her loss of innocence as she matured she gained compassion and sees the world a different

Marigolds By Eugenia Collier : A Story Of A Young African...
In the short story, "Marigolds," Eugenia Collier tells the story of a young African–American girl, Lizabeth, as she transitions from adolescence to
womanhood in Maryland during the Great Depression. Throughout the story, Lizabeth and Miss Lottie, a very poor old woman, experience hope in
similar ways. Lizabeth describes her neighbor, "Now at the end of that life [Miss Lottie] had nothing except a falling–down hut, a wrecked body, and
John Burke, the mindless son of her passion. Whatever verve there was left in her, whatever was of love and beauty and joy that had not been
squeezed out by life, had been there in the marigolds she had so tenderly cared for" (638). This quotation best exemplifies the main point Collier makes
in the story. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This word choice illustrates Lizabeth's inability to have children. Because she is infertile, Lizabeth has lost the hope for her future that her children
would give. However, Lizabeth finds hope through another belief, like Miss Lottie. In the last line of the story, Lizabeth explains, "And I too have
planted marigolds" (639). This demonstrates how Lizabeth and Miss Lottie planted marigolds as a symbol of hope. Both Miss Lottie and Lizabeth live
in poverty without the chance to pass on their legacy to their children. This forces them to find hope in other forms in order to lessen the pain of their
circumstances.
The theme of "Marigolds" holds true for many people in real life. It is human nature to need something to believe in. When people cannot find hope
through children or a career, for example, they search for another belief as a replacement. Some find hope in material objects, like Miss Lottie and
Lizabeth. Lizabeth realizes about Miss Lottie, "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" (638). John Burke could not give Miss Lottie a chance of continuing her legacy because he was "queer–headed" and
only rocked on the porch aimlessly. Her dilapidated house and empty town did not make Miss Lottie optimistic either. As a result, Miss Lottie found
promise in the beauty of her marigolds. When people are hopeless

Confusion In Lizabeth By Eugenia Collier
Throughout the story, Eugenia Collier uses the actions and words of young Lizabeth to highlight the confusion of adolescence before and after
destroying Mrs. Lottie's marigolds. Lizabeth's bewilderment is first revealed when the young children decide to pester Miss Lottie. Lizabeth is
reluctant to "gather pebbles from the dusty ground," but Joey's taunting convinces her to put aside her newfound maturity and to descend into
childishness (Collier 111). Collier is showing the reader how the young often respond to confusion by acting out. Lizabeth doesn't know what to do, so
she acts immaturely. In addition, Collier reveals adolescence to be mysterious. After the taunting incident, Lizabeth becomes moody and is caught
between two worlds.

Marigolds By Eugenia Collier Analysis
"Marigolds" by Eugenia Collier is a personal narrative of the challenges that adolescents face with coming of age. The author is able to accurately
capture the voice of her younger self–using literary devices such as imagery, juxtaposition, and diction. The author uses these literary devices to give
the reader a precise representation of the struggles she surpassed, which pushed her towards adulthood. The first literary device the author uses to
communicate the endeavors of childhood is juxtaposition. For example, Eugenia Collier uses juxtaposition to compare her memories of poverty and
sadness to her memories absence of wealth and fortune, "When I think of the home town of my youth, all that I seem to remember is dust – the brown,
... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
... They interfered with the perfect ugliness of the place; they were too beautiful; they said too much that we could not understand; they did not
make sense." This quote exemplifies a clear depiction of the ignorance of immaturity and a brilliant use of imagery. Collier creates the scene using
descriptive words and attaches them to the reader's mind, one can see the torrid flowers and disfigured house. These images capture the author's
feelings of disarray and discombobulation, which all contribute to Eugenia Collier's voice. These feelings lead to the character uprising to adulthood.
The last literary device Eugenia Collier exercises to deepen her sensation of despair and disgrace is diction. Collier influences her words to carve her
emotions into the reader, one can sense the feelings of puzzlement and the irascibleness it evokes. For instance, in this quote the reader can grasp
Eugenia's voice through her use of eloquent words " I indeed lost my mind, for all the smoldering emotions of that summer swelled in me and burst –
the great need for my mother who was never there, the hopelessness of our poverty and degradation, the bewilderment of being neither child nor
woman and yet both at once, the fear unleashed by my father's tears. And theses feelings combined in one great impulse toward destruction." This
quotes reveals the emotions the author choice to seal

Sweet Potato Pie Eugenia Collier
Eugenia Collier "SWEET POTATO PIE" Sukhanova E. LP31/2
Eugenia W. Collier (born 1928) is an African–American writer and critic best known for her 1969 short story "Marigolds". She was born in Baltimore,
Maryland, USA. Collier 's collection, Breeder and Other Stories, was released in 1993. She has also published a play, Ricky, based on hershort story of
the same name. Other texts that Collier has written or contributed to include are Impressions in Asphalt: Images of Urban America (1999), A Bridge to
Saying It Well (1970), Sweet Potato Pie (1972) and others.
Recently we've read one of her stories Sweet Potato Pie which is about the youngest boy in the poor family became a ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
And the author uses a lot of dialogs to show us the actions and also the relationships between two brothers.
Due to the tone of the story we could see the compassion and sympathy, shown by the author. Eugenia raises rather difficult social problems. The first
one is the relationships in a family, especially when children start their own adult life and leave family. The second one is the problem of social status
in a

The Short Story Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
The short story, "Marigolds" by Eugenia Collier is a short story about a young girl who feels trapped between child and adult. The theme of the
story is, poverty limits people's lives and deprives them of lifes beauty. The theme first appears in the story during the exhibition. The narrator,
Lizabeth, is describing her life as a young person during the great depression. She says, "I suppose that the futile waiting was the sorrowful
background music of our impoverished little community when I was young" (Collier 422). She describes the waiting for relief from poverty as
background music, which means it was always at the back of her mind. No matter how great things were poverty was always going to be at the back
of her mind, depriving her

Summary Of Lizabeth In Marigolds
Closely observing a character gives the readers a chance to truly understand them , their thoughts and their points points of views. The actions that
Lizabeth takes are things that need to be closely examined to comprehend the complexity of Lizabeth's behaviors. Lizabeth, the protagonist from the
short story Marigolds by Eugenia Collier portrays unique characteristics such as being resilient, addled and compassionate. Collier provides an ample
amount of evidence that shows Lizabeth is full of resilience. Lizabeth grew up in a life full of poverty and had conflicts arising in almost each
moment, one problem after another. Lizabeth remembers her childhood as being " Sorrowful background music of our impoverished little
community,"... " The Depression that gripped the nation was no new thing to us, for the black workers of rural Maryland had always been
depressed," ( Applebee 76). Lizabeth is saying that she didn't have many resources growing up, daily procedures became a conflict and they had to
find a way to survive, one day at a time. Incidentally, Lizabeth and the rest of her small community had to find a way to overcome all the conflicts
that they found themselves in by being resilient and not giving up. To overcome all these hardships, Lizabeth gained a grand quality, resilience.
Lizabeth states, " Poverty was the cage in which we all were trapped, and our hatred of it was still vague, undirected restlessness of the zoo–bred
flamingo who knows that nature created him to

Environmental Factors In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
In one's everyday life, we are surrounded with environmental factors that could potentially shape the aspects of our lives. These types of factors range
anywhere from negative to positive on a broad spectrum. For instance in Eugenia Collier's short story "Marigolds", The main character Lizabeth, is
surrounded by an abundance of environmental factors, as she struggles with own internal conflict of coming to terms that her reign of innocence is
slowly fading away. As the story continues, Lizabeth's environmental factors are exposed, and as a result of these factors, she commits certain actions,
in which she faces consequences for. The particular theme that is emitted from this short narrative, is "symbolic experiences that one may experience
in life, have a probability of changing aspects in our lives". This is tied in with main emphasize of exploring in the text how this particular theme is
exposed by the characters, setting, and the plot of the story.
During the course of the story, Marigolds are repetitively brought up in the dialogue, and the thoughts of the characters. In fact, the title of the story is
"Marigolds", but what might be the significance behind the title? Well for starters the main purpose of the title is a play on the symbolism that
Marigolds represent, which includes passion, creativity, cruelty, grief, and jealousy. This type of symbolism is then incorporated in the main
characters Lizabeth and Ms.Lottie's persona throughout the text. Evidence to support this claim is in the text it states, "For some perverse reason, we
children hated those Marigolds. They infuriated with the perfect ugliness of the place; they were too beautiful; they said too much; they did not make
sense(Collier, Eugenia). As displayed in the quote the traits reflected upon Lizabeth's persona was jealousy. This is stated because in the quote
Lizabeth rambles about the negative aspects of the marigolds and does not name one positive attribute, this is practical behavior that is associated with
jealousy. The last piece of evidence to support the significance behind the title is in the text it states "The old black–witch woman worked on them all
summer, every summer, down on her creaky knees, weeding cultivating and

Lizabeth's Change In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
In the story "Marigolds", by Eugenia Collier, the character Lizabeth changes from the start to the end of the story because after destroying Miss
Lottie's marigolds she changed from childish to matured. An example of how destroying the marigolds changes Lizabeth is when she states, "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", (Collier 6). At the
start of the story Lizabeth and her friends teased and called Miss Lottie names, but as we reach the end of the story you can see how she opened her
eyes and saw what she was doing was wrong. After pulling the marigolds, Lizabeth realizes that Miss Lottie's only hope was through the flowers, and
actually shows sympathy,

Internal Conflict In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
The short story "Marigolds" by Eugenia Collier discusses many struggles. The main protagonist Lizabeth battles internally between her inner child and
adult and externally with the effects of the Great Depression. The internal conflict concerns Lizabeth's hesitation toward becoming an adult. The
external focuses on how the Great Depression causes her family to struggle financially. These strifes directly influence each other.
In the external conflict, Lizabeth and the rest of her "shantytown" confront poverty and unemployment. The African–American population, including
the protagonist, faces the worst of the Great Depression. "The Depression that gripped the nation was no new thing for us, for the black workers of
rural Maryland had always been depressed" (Collier, par. 3). The already poverty–stricken family scrambles to find basic necessities, such as clothes
and work. As Lizabeth's mother says, "Everybody out of work now, you know that... Ain't nobody got nothing [sic] nowadays" (37, 39). Her mother
now heads the household; whereas, her father now sobs like a defenseless child. This man versus society directly influences the internal conflict. ...
In the beginning of the story, she has fun and mocks Miss Lottie, who simply is trying to find hope in this forsaken society by planting flowers. After
Lizabeth overhears her parents arguing about finding work, her struggle climaxes. She starts to understand the vulnerability of her parents and
neighbors. She finally runs to Miss Lottie's house and destroys her marigolds. "[Ruining Miss Lottie's marigolds] was the moment childhood faded and
womanhood began" (61). In the resolution, she inadvertently unleashes the adult in her and she truly realizes vulnerability, compassion, and

Loss Of Innocence In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
Maturity and Innocence
Maturity does not necessarily come with age. It comes with consideration, manners, and one's reactions. Although completely opposite, maturity and
innocence go hand in hand. In the short story, "Marigolds", by Eugenia Collier, the main character, Lizabeth, realizes that only through her loss of
innocence can she gain compassion and maturity to her path of womanhood. In the beginning of the short story, a flashback of Lizabeth's hometown is
presented. However, "all that [she seems] to remember is dust– the brown, crumbly dust of late summer." She later ponders the fact why she only
remembers the dust. Clearly, her recollection of her hometown is rather lamentful and full of sorrow. Miss Lottie, who the children in the
neighborhood consider an old witch, is a neighbor of Lizabeth's and lives in, " the most ramshackle of all [the] ramshackle homes." Miss Lottie's
house is dilapidated and not well cared for, except the fact that she has, "a brilliant splash of sunny yellow against the dust–[her] marigolds." The
golden flowers do not fit in the dull picture and it is for this reason that the kids ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
However, Lizabeth's conduct doesn't change. Lizabeth's mother, Maybelle works late into the evening and her father is unable to find work and has
been living off his wife, for twenty–two years. Her father cries that "It ain't right. Ain't no man ought to eat his woman's food year in and year out." He
feels ashamed of himself and refuses Mr. Ellis's old coat, stating that, "You think I want white folks' leavings?" Lizabeth's parents struggle to provide
for themselves and their two remaining children, Lizabeth and Joey. After overhearing her father sobbing hopelessly, it ignites Lizabeth into a fury that
results in her destroying Ms. Lottie's

Essay on Freudian Analysis of Marigolds
Freudian Analysis of Marigolds Most of the time there is a moment in life where one realizes they have lost all innocence and gained some
compassion. "Marigolds" shows how one young girl transferred from a child to young adult through her life experiences. Throughout this story another
young, but at the same time old in her prime, lady's experiences are revealed: the author's. In this short story, "Marigolds," Eugenia Collier's
subconscious is unmasked through symbolism, diction, and Lizabeth's actions. In the beginning, the author explains how this young girl, Lizabeth,
lived in the culturally deprived neighborhood during the depression. Lizabeth is at the age where she is just beginning to become a young woman and is
... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Obviously the author has lived through the depression and was black because one could not write something so accurate in accordance to that time
period and have one feel the deep emotional impact of her writings without experiencing it personally. In the first sentence she writes "...all I seem to
remember is dust–the brown, crumbly dust of late summer–arid, sterile dust that gets in to the eyes and makes them water, gets into the throat and
between the toes of the bare brown feet." In this phrase the words give a harsh, cruel feeling of how the depression was, which could then explain
how she remembers the depression and that it was a hard time for her. Most likely it was a significantly hopeless moment in her life. In the next
paragraph she writes "When the memory of those marigolds flashes across my mind, a strange nostalgia comes with it and remains long after the
picture has faded." Knowing the marigolds symbolize hope the word "nostalgia" gives a feeling of longing, since the denotative meaning is
yearning. When stating the marigolds give a "strange nostalgia" the author could be thinking how she, sometime in her life, longed to have hope. She
needed to have something to look forward to or just something to look at to give her hope. Later, towards the end of the story she explains
"...Innocence involves an unseeing acceptance of things at face value, an ignorance of the area below the surface." The words she uses give a sense of
wisdom

The story "Marigolds", written by Eugenia Collier, is a story about a young woman who is just becoming an adult. She goes through many internal
conflicts about whether she should do the mature thing, the adult thing, or the immature thing, which is what kids would do. The whole story is
conveying the idea of adolescence and how people change from a kid to an adult. "Marigolds" tells the reader that one cannot have compassion along
with innocence. The story generates a fine line between the innocence of being a kid and the compassion that comes with adulthood. There are many
examples of this theme in the story, the first one being when the group of kids attacked the marigolds, the second being when Lizabeth overheard the
conversation between her parents, and the third is after she destroyed the marigolds.... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Right before they were about to throw the stones into Miss Lottie's yard, Lizabeth stopped to wonder if it was really a smart idea. It says in lines
190–193, "I just stood there peering through the bushes, torn between wanting to join the fun and feeling that it was all a bit silly." This shows that
because she is growing up into an adult, her viewpoints are changing. The woman in her is trying to push away the child in her. After the pranking of
Miss Lottie, it says in lines 239–241, "The child in me sulked and said it was all fun, but the woman in me flinched at the thought of the malicious
attack that I had led." Again, another example where Lizabeth was gaining compassion as she became a woman. This idea can relate to modern teens
today because many teens have little brothers or sisters, just like Lizabeth did. These siblings might push you to do something that is childish, just like
the younger people in Lizabeth's life pushed

Theme Of Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
In "Marigolds", a short story by Eugenia Collier, the experiences of the protagonist support one of the many themes that growing up will deprive you of
the innocence that you used to have as a child. She develops the theme that one cannot have both compassion and innocence. Through the use of several
literary techniques such as symbolism, conflict, resolution, and irony, the author conveys through the protagonist, the overall theme of this short story.
There are many situations that the main character goes through that show the reader the true meaning of this. Lizabeth, the main character, transforms
from a violent carefree girl to a mature responsible woman by the end of the story. Lizabeth is the protagonist who faces many problem from the
beginning. She does not know whether to place herself in society, as a child or an adult. "Joy and rage and wild ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Seeing a person she completely looked up to, showing signs of weakness was too much for her to handle. "My father was a strong man who could
whisk a child upon his shoulders and go singing through the house. "How could it be that my father was crying?" The world had lost its boundary
lines. My mother, who was small and soft, was now the strength of the family; my father, who was the rock on which the family had been built,
was sobbing like the tiniest child" Where did I fit into this broken picture? I do not now remember my thoughts, only a feeling of great
bewilderment and fear." Even up to now, Lizabeth is still acting as if she is a child. She cannot control her emotion whatsoever because right after
she hears of this news, she cannot fall asleep. She decides to do what she wants. And, she wants to take out all of her anger. She goes to Mrs. Lottie's
yard and finds the marigolds. She just jumps in them, completely destroying them, and taking all of her anger out on

Analysis Of Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
The transformation from an innocent girl to a grown woman could be extremely tremendous. In the short story, "Marigolds," by Eugenia Collier, shows
how much Lizabeth has mature. As she is maturing, she is starting to have the realization of the real world and the meaning of compassion. At the time,
the Great Depression occur and the marketing crash. The Great Depression affected families and the world itself. Based on the short story, "Marigolds"
by Eugenia Collier, shows that one cannot have both compassion and innocence at once from the character development of Lizabeth. Realizing what
you have done, but not knowing what exactly. Children could do the cruelest things, and not realize the harm that they're putting others in. In the short
story, Lizabeth isn't thinking before her actions that actually is causing damage for Miss Lottie. Joey and Lizabeth is near MIss Lottie's home, but then
"Zing"–Joey sent a pebble into the blossoms, and another marigold was beheaded" (Collier, pg. 27). Lizabeth is clueless to her surrounding of the
world that she was living in causing her to make terrible decision that was actually causing harm for others. Even though, Lizabeth thought it was all
for fun and a joke, Miss Lottie did not think it was, making Lizabeth feel ashamed. She is feeling guilty of what she has down and starting to realize her
mistakes. Innocence is one thing, but maturity is another that you go through. In the short story, Lizabeth was starting to have the realization of her
surrounding. She noticed Miss Lottie and called her out, "M–miss Lottie!" I scrambled to my feel and just stood there and stared at her, and that was
the moment when childhood faded and womanhood began" (Collier, pg. 30). Lizabeth notice the sad face; weary eyes of Miss Lottie. Se realize that
the witch isn't a witch, but is an old lady that is trying to make the best of the current situation of the world. As she stare at Miss Lottie's face, she
realize of how much regret she has and began to mature into this grown woman. A girl with innocence mature into this grown woman has changed her
whole realization of the world that she is living.
As a caterpillar transitions into a beautiful butterfly, just like Lizabeth's transformation

The Theme Of Marigolds InMarigolds, By Virginia Hurst
Guilt is like a sickness. If you don't get medicine, no matter how much you wait it out, the sickness is staying with you. No matter how much time
passes, if you don't deal with your guilt, it will stick with you and never go away. The main character in Marigolds by Eugenia Collier ruins an elderly
woman's beautiful marigolds because of her own issues. The main character in The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst leaves his handicapped brother alone in
the woods and comes back to find that he's dead. Lastly, the main character in The Cat's In The Cradle never takes part in hisson's childhood and comes
to realize his boy is just like him when he gets older. These three pieces all show a coexisting theme of how guilt sticks around forever if you don't deal
with it.
Marigolds by Eugenia W. Collier perfectly demonstrates how guilt sticks around no matter how much time has passed if you don't deal with it. In the
story, the main character Lizabeth gets very angry and destroys an elderly woman named Miss. Lottie's marigolds she had planted in her yard. Before
this, Lizabeth overheard her parents fighting and crying about their dire situation, something she had never seen her strong, determined parents do
before. Lizabeth took her anger out on Miss. Lottie and her marigolds, she basically ripped the whole garden to shreds. The guilt from doing this has
stuck with her over the years. For example, as the author clearly states, "Yet, there are times when the image of those passionate

Marigolds By Eugenia W. Collier
In "Marigolds," Eugenia W. Collier describes a young girl that came to understand the dire financial situation her family was in to illustrate the loss of
innocence. Lizabeth thinks that she was living a perfect life, but she soon finds that it was just a fantasy that she herself concocted. Collier uses
ordinary symbols, a simple title, and a descriptive style to get across her message that everyone needs to have hope despite how powerless they are. In
the plot of "Marigolds," Collier describes Lizabeth, a girl born into poverty who is unaware of the hardship surrounding her and her family. One
summer day, Lizabeth and her friends taunt Miss Lottie by throwing pebbles at her and her marigolds. Miss Lottie and her son, John Burke chase
the kids away. Afterwards, all of the kids gather around to celebrate their latest escapade,everyone except Lizabeth. She and her brother head home
and sleep until Lizabeth wakes up from hearing her father cry. That was the moment she realized that she and the other kids were living a lie. Collier
uses Lizabeth, the main character in "Marigolds," in order to portray the loss of hope, and how one cannot have both hope and innocence. Lizabeth is
a young girl who at the beginning of the story is naГЇve and goes about her life as if nothing was wrong, but she soon undergoes a transformation every
child goes through;growing into adulthood. During this process, Lizabeth becomes aware of the poverty–stricken life that she was born into.

Destruction Of Childhood In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier

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Destruction Of Childhood In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier