Receiving Helpdesk

who is miss lottie in the story marigolds

by Fred Schuster DDS Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago

Lottie is an older woman and one of Lizabeth's neighbors. She grows beautiful marigolds in front of her house. The children take pleasure in throwing rocks at her flowers, and they enjoy bothering her. age.Jun 7, 2019

Full Answer

Who is Miss Lottie and Joey in the story Marigolds?

Who is Miss Lottie in the story marigolds? 1 Lizabeth is a 14 year old girl. 2 Joey is Lizabeth's younger brother. 3 Miss Lottie is an old woman who has gone slightly mad, because she has lost a lot in life. 4 John Burke is Miss Lotties' mentally challenged son who sits on the porch with her all of the time.

What is Miss Lottie's Garden of marigolds?

Miss Lottie has one small spot of beauty in her dull, difficult, plodding, poverty-stricken life: her garden of marigolds. She tends them carefully, pouring her heart and soul into that little patch of flowers.

What kind of person was Miss Lottie?

Miss Lottie was a loner, odd, old, tired, poor, and had an invalid for a son. She had nothing else really to hold on to in life, but the flowers.

What happens to Miss Lottie at the end of the novel?

In the end tho the realize Miss Lottie is only a broken old lady who only tried to find beauty in things like her marigolds. She only has so many things like her worn out body, John Burke and the Marigolds.

How would you describe Miss Lottie in marigolds?

Miss Lottie is an old, poor, woman who lives with her disabled son and her marigolds. The kids were playing one day and decided to make fun of her and throw pebbles at her house, she got really angry and Lizabeth decided to throw more. After throwing pebbles, they called her an old witch.

What kind of character is Miss Lottie?

An imposing, stern, elderly woman, Miss Lottie is the target of the neighborhood kids, who make a sport of taunting her, damaging her prized marigolds, and calling her a witch. They circulate legends about her amongst themselves, viewing her as an almost mythical villain instead of a woman from the neighborhood.Feb 25, 2021

How is Miss Lottie described in the story?

Miss Lottie was a loner, odd, old, tired, poor, and had an invalid for a son. She had nothing else really to hold on to in life, but the flowers. Lizabeth did something worse than murder because she did not kill a human body; she destroyed the last vestiges of a tired soul. Lizabeth is a 14 year old girl.Mar 21, 2020

Why did the children think Miss Lottie was a witch?

As a child, Lizabeth had thought Miss Lottie to be a witch and despised the marigolds because it did not match the poverty and sadness that surrounded her.

Why did Miss Lottie have marigolds?

The marigolds are important to Miss Lottie because they symbolize hope and beauty in the face of adversity.Sep 17, 2019

How does Miss Lottie take care of her son?

Miss Lottie spends most of her summer day taking care of her son John Burke and tending to her field of beautiful yellow and orange marigolds which she cares about a lot. Which are the only nicer part on her property as her house didn't compare to the beauty of the flowers.

Who is Miss Lottie Why are the children afraid of her?

The children love to spend time with Miss Lottie. The children like to bother or annoy Miss Lottie. The children are afraid of Miss Lottie because she is a witch. The children go to Miss Lottie's to hear stories from long ago.

How does Lizabeth interact with Miss Lottie in marigolds?

How does Lizabeth interact with Miss Lottie in "Marigolds"? Lizabeth is afraid of Miss Lottie because she thinks the old woman is a witch, so she avoids her house. Lizabeth thinks Miss Lottie and her marigolds are strange, and her frustration with her own life drives Lizabeth to destroy the woman's flowers.

Why is Lizabeth's father distressed?

Why did Lizabeth's father cry? He was sad that he could not find a job during the Great Depression and take care of his family. He was upset that his wife earned the money.

Who is John Burke marigolds?

1 Answers. John Burke is Miss Lottie's son. day in and day out in a mindless stupor, lulled by the monotonous squeak-squawk of the chair. A battered hat atop his shaggy head shaded him from the sun.May 20, 2021

What was the purpose of marigolds short story?

Lizabeth finally understands that the marigolds were meant to be a symbol of hope, and plants some of her own. Collier said that she wrote the story when she was depressed.

What do the marigolds symbolize?

Marigolds were often linked to the powerful strength of the sun and represent power, strength, and light that lives inside of a person. The marigold has also come to symbolize a feeling of despaired love. If someone has lost someone they love, whether it be by death or a broken relationship.

Who is Miss Lottie's son?

They also make fun of Miss Lottie's mentally disabled son, John Burke, who does not like to be interrupted. As they run away from Miss Lottie's house after calling her an "old lady witch", Lizabeth begins to think about her actions and how they affect others.

What does Miss Lottie see when she sees what Lizabeth has done to her flowers?

Miss Lottie sees what Lizabeth has done to her flowers, and she is so shocked that she does not say or do anything. As Lizabeth realizes that the marigolds she destroyed were the only bit of hope and beauty Miss Lottie had left, she starts to regret her actions.

What is the story of marigolds about?

The story Marigolds is about a young African-American girl named Lizabeth who grew up during the Great Depression. At the beginning of the story, she is very childish and does not stop to think about her actions. With their friends, Lizabeth and her brother go to the yard of an elderly woman named Ms. Lottie and harass her while she tends to her garden of marigolds by throwing stones at the marigolds and yelling rude things at her. They also make fun of Miss Lottie's mentally disabled son, John Burke, who does not like to be interrupted. As they run away from Miss Lottie's house after calling her an "old lady witch", Lizabeth begins to think about her actions and how they affect others. Later that night, Lizabeth hears her parents argue about jobs and money and talk about how they feel they cannot support themselves. Lizabeth's mother works to support her family, but her father is out of a job and is upset because he believes that he, as the man of the house, should earn the money for the family. Out of shock and rage, Lizabeth sneaks over to Miss Lottie's house, ignoring her brother's protests. She goes to the garden to destroy all the marigolds in frustration and tears, only to come face-to-face with the old woman. Miss Lottie sees what Lizabeth has done to her flowers, and she is so shocked that she does not say or do anything. As Lizabeth realizes that the marigolds she destroyed were the only bit of hope and beauty Miss Lottie had left, she starts to regret her actions. In the present, Lizabeth, who is now an adult, looks back on her childish actions with regret and states that their encounter was the end of her innocence and of her childhood. In the end, Lizabeth finally understands that the marigolds meant to be a symbol of hope even in rough times, and she has planted some of her own.

What is the marigold story?

"Marigolds" is a 1969 short story by Eugenia Collier. The story draws from Collier's early life in rural Maryland during the Great Depression.

Where did the story Marigolds take place?

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. While teaching literature at the Community College of Baltimore County, she published "Marigolds" in Negro Digest, where it won the inaugural Gwendolyn Brooks prize ...

Why is Lizabeth upset with her father?

Lizabeth's mother works to support her family, but her father is out of a job and is upset because he believes that he, as the man of the house, should earn the money for the family. Out of shock and rage, Lizabeth sneaks over to Miss Lottie's house, ignoring her brother's protests.

What does Miss Lottie do to Lizabeth's marigolds?

In Eugenia Collier's story “Marigolds,” Miss Lottie responds to Lizabeth's destruction of her carefully, lovingly tended marigolds with numb sadness. She has poured all her energy and most of herself into that bright patch of flowers, which is the only beauty and joy in her life. With the marigolds destroyed, she no longer has ...

What happens when Lizabeth destroys Miss Lottie's flowers?

So when Lizabeth willfully destroys Miss Lottie's flowers, Miss Lottie has no joy and beauty left in her life. As one can imagine, Miss Lottie is utterly devastated by the completely uncalled-for destruction of her pride and joy. Yes, Miss Lottie still has a son to love and to whom she can now perhaps devote more attention.

What did Lizabeth say about marigolds?

The marigolds were, by Lizabeth's own words, whatever was left of the beauty of love, joy and life that was not already squeezed out dry from the woman's body.

What does Lizabeth look at in Miss Lottie's face?

Miss Lottie's face is merely “immobile,” and her eyes sad and weary. She is broken and numb as she looks at the wreckage of her beloved marigolds.

What is Lizabeth's goal in life?

They seem to be her primary reason for living and the source of her only goal in life, to keep those flowers alive and shining brightly. Then Lizabeth comes along. In an adolescent temper tantrum, she destroys Miss Lottie's marigolds. She tears them up by their roots, tramples them, and mangles every last one.

Does Miss Lottie have any life?

As a consequence, Miss Lottie no longer has any life to speak of, simply a bare and barren existence. Last Updated by eNotes Editorial on October 20, 2020. Amy Troolin, M.A.

Does Miss Lottie ever plant marigolds?

Miss Lottie never again plants marigolds. Perhaps she simply lacks the spirit and vigor to care for anything that deeply again. Perhaps she does not want to risk being hurt again by losing something she loves. So she lives out her days in barren, brown dullness.

Why do the kids hate Miss Lottie's marigolds?

She and the other children loathe the flowers because their beauty stands in contrast with the pervasive ugliness and decay that define the rest of the town. In such a context, the flowers are incomprehensible.

What is the story of Marigolds by Eugenia Collier about?

" Marigolds" by Eugenia Collier is a 1969 short story about Lizabeth, a girl growing up in rural Maryland during the Great Depression who has a coming-of-age experience. Lizabeth, now an adult, reflects back on the summer when she was fourteen.

What is the flower in the book "The Golden Girls"?

Focusing in on the remembered image of bright yellow marigold flowers, Lizabeth recalls a particularly painful anecdote that, to her mind, marks the transition between her childhood and her womanhood. She, her brother, and the neighborhood children used to take pleasure in antagonizing Miss Lottie, an elderly neighbor.

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 happens to Lizabeth after her parents' conversation ends?

After her parents’ conversation ends, Lizabeth lays in bed for a long time, unable to sleep. Feeling lonely, she wakes Joey, who is confused.

image
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9