Sweet Potato Pie Eugenia Collier

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 her short
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
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...

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

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

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

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

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.

Summary Of Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
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

"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. ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
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"

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

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
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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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
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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

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

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

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. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
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

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 his son'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 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

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 more content on Helpwriting.net ...
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

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. ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
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

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 ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
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

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

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
Great Depression, 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

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

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,

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

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",

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

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.

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 naïve 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.

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

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

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