Marigolds By Eugenia Collier Analysis

Childhood. The period of time between ages three to eleven .The times where you learn lessons by simply living your life. Adolescence, by the age of 12 we almost know how to completely take care of ourselves. Lizabeth from Eugenia Collier’s “Marigolds” is at a point in her life where her adolescence is fading into the long path of adulthood. He twisted and conflicted emotions and thoughts crowd her judgment. The adult in Lizabeth begins to shine through her twisted teen emotions and develop her sense of sense of compassion throughout the entire story.
Lizabeth is in a very confusing phase of her life, She is in a stage where we are all trying to find ourselves and map out our lives. She is at a time where she still can run around and have fun with all the children, but at certain times she has a sense of power that would be found in most adults. He adolescence affects her decisions when she leads the other children on a quest to taunt and annoy Miss Lottie. Lizabeth’s approaching adulthood causes her to be, “…mad with the power of inciting such rage, and ran out of the bushes in the storm of

pebbles, straight towards Miss Lottie, chanting madly, “Old witch fell in a ditch, picked up a penny and thought she was rich!”” (Collier 9&10) This shows how the child in Lizabeth was still very much in control of her actions. But after this even the more mature side of Lizabeth begins to shine through. While the rest of the children celebrated and laughed about the menacing act they had committed the narrating older version of Lizabeth tells us that she, “…was ashamed...” she continues to tell us how her inner self was feeling, “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 that I had led.” This shows readers that the adult in Lizabeth is capable of showing some sort of compassion or empath toward Miss Lottie. Lizabeth is slowly making the transition into the full adult that narrates this story.
Lizabeth’s adolescence has a great deal to do with everything she does within this story.

Any adult would know not to get up the middle of the night and cause destruction Lizabeth could no longer control her emotions the night her father came home and cried to her mother, “I had lost my mind, for all the smoldering emotions of the summer swelled in me and burst…” (Collier 12) Lizabeth, still being a child was so caught up in her feelings that she didn’t think of anything she was doing until after it was done. She trampled and pulled the Marigolds destroying the beauty that Miss Lottie had worked so hard to create. After the demolition of the Marigolds Lizabeth’s childish side if no longer present within her. She is left standing in the ruins of a once beautiful garden, “…awkward and ashamed.”(Collier 13) A girl thrown into womanhood by a great act of emotional

hardships.
By the end of the story Lizabeth’s adult side is finally able to understand exactly why Miss Lottie planted Marigolds in her garden. We are able to see her understanding when she says, “The witch was no longer a witch but only a broken old woman who had dared to create beauty in the midst of ugliness and sterility.” (Collier 12) She now understands more than the foolish child who destroyed the marigolds that night. Collier reveals to us that the night she destroyed the Marigolds Lizabeth, “…looked beyond myself into the depths of another person. This was the beginning of compassion, and one cannot have both compassion and innocence.” (Collier 13) She now understands that she has to act like an adult and think about how her actions will affect others. The author adds in that as an Adult Lizabeth, “…planted marigolds.”(Collier 13) This shows that she, just as Miss Lottie is attempting to create beauty in a place of ugliness.
“Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier is a story of beauty, poverty, youth, and growing. We learn that even in poor situations it is possible to create something beautiful that will bring a little hope and happiness to your life. I for one think that this story can resonate with many people my age. Trying to work your way through this life is very difficult. And even though life may seem terrible and in a sense “ugly” you can always do something to change it and make it a little better.