Eugenia W. Collier's Marigolds

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Rebecca Nunez Ms. Saberan H Contemp Comp 12 April 2024 Maturity Through a Microscope When looking back on one's past, people have the immediate feeling of shame. Children are innocent, fragile creatures whose young minds don’t allow them to react properly to certain circumstances. Reminiscing comes alongside the good and the bad, evoking memories you wish to forget. Many are surrounded by embarrassment when reflecting on their younger selves’ choices, due to their brain not being adequately developed. People need to go through phases and situations to come of age properly. Negative experiences are crucial to reaching a point of maturity. Though one may not realize it in the present moment, undesirable incidents allow young minds to analyze …show more content…

Eugenia W. Collier's short story, “Marigolds” allows readers to be placed in the narrator's shoes, showing the humble side of coming of age. Page 6 shares, “The World has 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 suddenly out of tune, like a broken accordion. Where did I fit into this crazy picture.” This particular piece of evidence shows the narrator reflecting on her current situation. She is distraught by it, which is quite unusual for her. She is used to being young and careless, but her growth is subtly challenged at that very moment. Page 8 of Marigolds states, “M-miss Lottie!” I scrambled to my feet and just stood there and stared at her, and that was the moment when childhood faded and womanhood began. The violent, crazy act was the last act of childhood. For as I gazed at the immobile face with the sad weary eyes, I gazed upon a kind of reality which is hidden in childhood.” This is the moment when Lizbeth recognizes her …show more content…

“Though I wanted to feel the right thing about President Kennedy’s death, I could not fight the feeling of elation that stirred in my chest. Today was the day I visited Eugene at his house. He had asked me to come over after school.” Is declared by the narrator on page 5. This single quote unveils how children view the world. The narrator was not mature enough to grasp the seriousness of the situation. The narrator has not yet reached maturity and hasn’t been put in the circumstances pushing her to do so. A mind that has previously come of age would be not only devastated but scared regarding the nation's current state. When mature, people's mindsets shift alongside them. Page 6 establishes the following: “That night, I lay in my bed trying to feel the right thing for our dead President. But the tears that came up from a deep source inside me were strictly for me.” The narrator underwent a negative situation prior, and she is attempting to cope. She is also trying to stir up some remorse and sadness regarding the President's death, which she struggles to do. She knows she should feel horrible for what had happened to him, but can’t help but pity

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