Alice Walker Symbolism

“The Flowers” by Alice Walker is quite an interesting piece. Walker conveys the message of coming of age throughout the piece through diction and symbolism. The carefree approach to life Myop portrays is that of an innocent child. “The harvesting of the corn...made each day a golden surprise that caused excited little tremors to run up her jaws.” The usage of the word “golden” often symbolizes success. The way Walker intertwines symbolism throughout this quote is very much intentional and by no means haphazard. The “golden” reference could also refer to Myop being in elementary school, seeing that it is the golden age of childhood.
However, Myop’s journey leads her further away from her tainted view of the world.”Her mother took her to gather nuts among the fallen leaves. Today she made her own path.” The diction used in the last sentence is important. To take your own path means to go against the current. This quote is an accurate depiction of teenagehood, venturing into a familiar land without

“She did not dare to look boldly at the tall young man, who carried a gun over his shoulder.” The gun is often referred to as a sexual reference. However, I view the gun as a symbol of white male superiority. Killing wild game at a time like that established your prowess as man. I found the gun represented power and the greed all men long for. "A queer tall white bird with soft feathers and long thin legs.” I believe Jewett was intentional when picking the color as white is synonymous with angelic. Such diction is not used this well without being intentional. This exotic bird oozes pureness and cleanliness. The color “white” is considered to be a noble color as seen in many biblical scriptures. Therefore, vanquishing such an animal would be monumental as such an action symbolizes purity. The scarcity of the bird only adds to such a momentous