Summary Of Marigolds By Eugenia W. Collier

Marigolds “Marigolds,” written by the author Eugenia W. Collier, begins with the main character, Elizabeth. The story is told in first person, being told by Elizabeth when she gets older. “Marigolds” takes place in Maryland during the Depression. The reader can tell it is the time of the Depression because in the story it says, “The Depression that gripped the nation was no new thing to us, for the black workers of rural Maryland had always been depressed.” Both the setting and time in this short story are important. It helps describe the way people lived during the time period. However, both the setting and time are important because it is the reasoning to the problem in the story. Throughout the book you see changes in Elizabeth. She is

Joey suggested that they would go to Miss Lottie’s house. The story describes her home as, “The most ramshackle of all ramshackle homes.” They stayed their distance from Miss Lottie’s home. The home was in pieces, yet there was something special about it. The story says, “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 yard.” They all crept over to the bushes, holding stones in their hands. Elizabeth led them. All of the children chanted rude rhythms at Miss Lottie as she struggled to stand to her feet. She waved her cane aimlessly to scare them off. She screamed for her son, John, and he chased them all away. Afterwards, everyone crowded under an oak tree, except for

She says to her brother, “If you want to come, come on.” In the story, Elizabeth feels like her life is falling apart. Her mother is never there, while her father cannot get a job. Poverty has put stress on her parents. To listen to her father cry with no hope flustered her. All of these causes trigger Elizabeth to take her anger and distress on the Marigolds. He follows her; chasing her down the road, Elizabeth approached the marigolds. She pulls the marigolds from the ground. Soon enough, Miss Lottie stood in front of her. The book states, “And that was the moment when childhood faded and womanhood began. That violent, crazy act was the last of childhood.” This passage clearly shows how Elizabeth is growing up from her