Analyzing Themes In The Story 'Marigolds' By Eugenia Collier

In the story Marigolds, by Eugenia Collier, the reader discovers the theme is to be innocent is to be a child and in order for one to mature, they must become compassionate. Out of the five clues to theme, the most relevant ones to this text are the conflict and solution, what the main character learns, and the stories symbolism. In the story Marigolds, there is an extremely important overarching theme that is still very relevant today. Conflict and solution are a huge clue as to what the theme of the story is. Lizabeth, the main character, doesn't know whether or not she should listen to the child or women in her and becomes confused in who she really is. This can be seen in lines 239-241, The child in me sulked and said it was all in fun, but the woman in me flinched at the thought of the malicious attack I had led.” You can see that the child in her is making the woman I her discusted and …show more content…
This can be seen in lines 15-23 when she reflects back on her childhood. The most prominent memory of her home town, which was poverty stricken, is of Miss Lottie's marigolds. “Whenever the memory of those marigolds flashes across my mind, a strange sense of nostalgia comes with it… I recall that devastating moment when I was suddenly more woman than child, years ago in Miss Lottie's yard.” This is still relevant today because many people have moments where they realize they are more adult than child and typically an object or feeling represent that moment. The object or feeling could be anything from a pillow to a piece of furniture to guilt to a flower. Even if there is no object, many people still remember the moment they transitioned from child to an adult very clearly, even if they don't realized the moment happened until years later. The symbol the marigold represent is extremely important to finding the theme of the