Symbolism_in_Marigolds

Analyzing the symbolism in Eugenia Collier’s “Marigolds.” “Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows,” recited poet John Betjeman. In a time where hardships are many and childhood freedoms few, a young girl Lizabeth – the main character of Eugenia Collier’s powerful story “Marigolds” struggles with growing up. This poignant story is set in the Great Depression, a time of confusion and grief for many, especially for underprivileged African American families living in neglected rural areas. During this time of turmoil, a patch of marigolds in an elderly women’s garden symbolize the hopelessness of poverty, coming of age, and the power of hope. A patch of beautiful marigolds in a world of dirt, gloom and depression symbolize the hopelessness of poverty. Lizabeth and her younger brother spend her fourteenth summer playing in dusted streets surrounded by dilapidated houses. Lizabeth does not have a full understanding of poverty, describing it as “vague” and like the “undirected restlessness of the zoo bred flamingo who knows that nature created him to fly free” (123), but senses the marigolds have a hand in this anxious unhappiness. Angered for some misunderstood reason, Lizabeth recalls: “For some perverse reason we children hated those marigolds. 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” (126). Although Lizabeth’s hatred of poverty is still formless, the marigolds symbolize the hopelessness of poverty. Furthermore, the marigolds symbolize coming of age. Lizabeth feels her whole life is crashing down around her, and to regain some sense of control, she destroys Ms. Lottie’s marigolds. Feeling even more lost and alone than ever once realizing the toll of her destruction towards Ms. Lottie, Lizabeth expresses, “I knew in that moment, and as I look back upon it, I know that that moment marked the end of innocence. Innocence involves an unseeing acceptance of things at face value, an ignorance of the area below the surface, in that humiliating moment I had looked beyond myself and into the depths of another person” ( 130-131). Lizabeth sees how much devastation she has caused the elderly women by taking away the only beauty in the aged woman’s life. She feels compassion and guilt for another, and because of this, Lizabeth has ended her blamelessness. Although now wilted and ruined, the marigolds mark in Lizabeth’s mind the moment she left the safety of childhood and began to grow up, they symbolize Lizabeth’s coming of age. Finally, the marigolds symbolize the power of hope. Lizabeth lives in a world of hurt and sadness, her family struggles to survive and her own future is as unclear as the dirt roads in her town. Looking back on her life, Lizabeth states, “Yet there are times when the image of those passionate yellow mounds returns with a painful poignancy. For one does not have to be ignorant and poor to find his life is as barren as the dusty yards of our town. And I too have planted marigolds” (131). Although her life was full of anguish and so much pain, Lizabeth rises above and turns her face toward the sunshine and never gives up. Through good and bad, the marigolds symbolize the power of hope; and give Lizabeth the power to rise above and triumph against the many obstacles in her life. Poverty, coming of age, and hope, the marigolds in Eugenia Collier’s poignant story “Marigolds” symbolizes all of those things. Eugenia Collier gives her readers the chance to stand alongside Lizabeth through that fateful summer, a summer filled with unbearable moments of hate and anger, and moments of compassion and strength; all while in sight of her warm and passionate sun-golden marigolds. The use of symbolism in “Marigolds” gives you emotion in a way only your heart can understand. From the moment you first read Eugenia Collier’s incredible story, you are tied to these simple flowers and the intriguing, complicated story of poverty, coming of age and hope they tell. Works Cited Collier, Eugenia. “Marigolds.” Springboard: level 4 (2011): 120-131.