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what is the story marigolds theme

by Dr. Laura Swaniawski Published 4 years ago Updated 2 years ago

"Marigolds" is a 1969 short story by Eugenia Collier. The story draws from Collier's early life in rural Maryland during the Great Depression. Its themes include poverty, maturity and the relationship between innocence and compassion.

What do the marigolds symbolize story?

Marigolds: These flowers represent cruelty, jealousy, creativity, and passion. In this story the marigolds symbolize all of these things, and more. The children's poverty has created jealousy of the beautiful flowers, tended to by Mrs. Lottie. These flowers are her passion. But the kids cruelty has destroyed the passion.

What do the marigolds mean in the story?

What do Marigold symbolize in the short story marigolds? The symbol in the short story is Miss Lottie’s marigolds. They represent things that people put in their lives to make it more beautiful and bearable. In order to distract herself from her barren life, she pours all her time and effort into caring for her marigolds.

What do the marigolds symbolioze in the story Marigolds?

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What is the setting in the story Marigolds?

“Marigolds” takes place in a shantytown in rural Maryland during the Great Depression. Lizabeth, the narrator of the story, recalls that it was a “dry September” when the situation with Miss Lottie’s marigolds took place.

What is the theme of the story Marigolds quizlet?

The theme of this story is the ability to understand and see other people fully human as the beginning of maturity into adulthood. When Lizabeth expressed her rage upon the marigolds and looked at Miss Lottie, she suddenly felt ashamed, realizing she had victimized not a "witch" but a real human being like herself.

What is the lesson in Marigolds?

In the story of “Marigolds” the theme is you have to learn from your childhood mistakes. The story “Marigolds” is about how her hometown is filled with dirt roads and it's very boring. It was this black lady named Miss Lottie that lived in Lizabeth neighborhood who loved her sunflowers.

What was the most important lesson Lizabeth learned in marigolds?

Although Lizabeth's adolescence affects her actions when she would disrespect Miss Lottie and her garden, her adult perspective in the story reveals that she learned that one can't have both compassion and innocence.

What does the last line of marigolds mean?

And at the very last line of the book, the narrator says “I too have planted my own marigolds. Meaning she's found the beauty in life. This wouldn't have happened if somehow fate didn't position those events in her life in order to transition her into an.

What is the theme of the story "Marigolds"?

What is the story marigolds theme? The main theme or message in the story "Marigolds" is the importance of empathy and compassion. In the story, Lizabeth is reflecting on a crossroads in her life, an incident that marked the change from child to woman. Before the day she tore up the old lady's marigolds, she had not thought ...

When was the marigolds story written?

Written in 1969 , the plot of the short story "Marigolds," by Eugenia Collier, is driven by the interactions between Lizabeth, Lizabeth's brother, Miss Lottie and Miss Lottie's marigolds. Is marigolds a true story?

Where does the story of marigolds take place?

Subsequently, question is, what is the story setting in marigolds? "Marigolds" takes place in a shantytown in rural Maryland during the Great Depression.

Who was the girl that incorporated the marigolds?

At this time, homosexuality was condemned, and Eugenia Collier (who is a homosexual herself) incorporated it with the use of the "brightly colored" marigolds. She was a girl, Lizabeth, growing up in rural Maryland during the Great Depression.

Why does Lizabeth show compassion towards Miss Lottie and her marigolds?

Later, Lizabeth shows compassion towards Miss Lottie and her marigolds because she realizes that she too has planted her own marigolds.

What are the themes of Marigolds?

T he main themes in "Marigolds" are coming of age, poverty and oppression, and memory and context. Coming of age: The story centers around the moment when Lizabeth moves from the innocence and thoughtlessness of childhood to the responsibility and compassion of adulthood. Poverty and oppression: Lizabeth's family and community struggle ...

How long is the free trial for Marigolds?

Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this Marigolds study guide. You'll get access to all of the Marigolds content, as well as access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.

What does Lizabeth say about poverty?

From her present-day vantage point, Lizabeth notes that she and the other children had no sense of the extent of their poverty. In the absence of access to radios, magazines, and newspapers, the children see only those who looked like themselves.

What is the theme of Marigolds?

The theme or message of the short story “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier is that it is not possible to have both innocence and compassion. Though Lizabeth's behavior towards Miss Lottie is thoroughly unpleasant, it comes from her inability to discern right and wrong. It is only in later years, as an adult, that Lizabeth is finally able ...

What does the marigold symbolize?

The marigolds, then, symbolise humanity's innate ability to create and cultivate beauty in even the most desperate and poverty-stricken surroundings. This meaning is made explicit in the last words of the story:

What did Lizabeth say to the old lady?

In fact, Lizabeth and her friends always used to yell, "Witch!". at the old lady. On that particular day, Lizabeth first took the leading role in yelling furiously at her, repeatedly calling her a witch. Later that day, she returned to her house and tore the marigolds out of the ground.

What does Lizabeth feel about Miss Lottie?

Lizabeth feels a sense of affront that, amid all the squalor and ugliness in which they live, Miss Lottie would dare to grow beautiful flowers. In tormenting Miss Lottie and ripping up what she tried to create, Lizabeth expresses some of her own internalized rage.

What is Lizabeth's story about?

In the story, Lizabeth is reflecting on a crossroads in her life, an incident that marked the change from child to woman. She is apparently honest with readers in telling us how brutal and hostile she was on the day she attacked Miss Lottie verbally and then attacked her property.

What is the narrator puzzled by in Miss Lottie's house?

The narrator is clearly puzzled by the marigolds, especially given the nature of Miss Lottie's home: Miss Lottie's marigolds were perhaps the strangest part of the picture. Certainly they did not fit in with the crumbling decay of the rest of her yeard.

Does Lizabeth understand why Miss Lottie did the same thing all those years ago?

What's more, now that she's started planting her own marigolds, the adult Lizabeth has come to understand why Miss Lottie did the very same thing all those years ago. It's only now that it's possible for her to show compassion for the woman she once tormented so mercilessly.

What Is The Theme Of Innocence In The Marigolds

story called, “Marigolds,” the author Eugenia Collier writes about a series of events about a young girl, named Lizabeth, develops into a compassionate person. Lizabeth narrates these events in a flashback that involves the marigolds of her neighbor, Miss Lottie.

The Theme Of Marigolds And Hard On The Gas

Both the short story “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier and the poem “Hard on the Gas,” by Janet S. Wong convey the theme that is “growing up and maturing isn’t always easy”. “Marigolds is the story of an adolescent who is growing up in the Great Depression.

Maturation In The Story 'Marigolds'

we all wish we wouldn’t have. In the story “Marigolds” Lizabeth throws a temper tantrum and then immediately regrets it. Lizabeth’s childish acting resulted in her noticing she should've handled the situation better. The theme of “Marigolds” is maturation leads to a deeper understanding of life.

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.

Themes Of Marigolds And Miss Brill

to reach a transformation. In both “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier and “Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield, the characters transform majorly due to their feelings of isolation.

Symbolism In The Marigolds

Fallen Innocence, Risen Empathy “Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild, With a faery, hand in hand.

Lizabeth's Change In The Short Story Marigolds

The theme of “Marigolds” demonstrates Lizabeth’s change in attitude throughout the story just as maturation affects every modern teen. The short story “Marigolds” is about when the main character, Lizabeth, slashes up the marigolds in Ms. Lottie’s garden.

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