However, within the novel, Steinbeck denies his female character’s simplicities by creating multidimensional roles within their womanly archetypes. Each female is capable of being motherly or wicked while being her own individually developed character. Therefore, Steinbeck does indeed create his female characters, as flat rather than round characters. However, though they may remain underdeveloped, they may also remain as individuals separate from their
The short story Marigolds by Eugenia Collier illustrates the story of a teenager slowly maturing into an adult. In the story, Lizebeth slowly learns more about adulthood and matures into an adult near the end of the story. By the end of the short story, Lizebeth has learned everything and becomes an adult. In the beginning, Lizbeth is behaving like a child, pranking Miss Lottie and destroying her flowers.
I made the mistake of reading the first Little House on the Prairie book once again after finishing the series. It was just so hard to believe that the distinguished Laura Ingalls Wilder was once a naughty five-year-old, always secondary to her flawless older sister. This transformation made me realize that in reality or literature, characters change as they grow. Their change depends on the events taking place in the book, which explains how and why Laura Ingalls rose up to be the head of the family when her older sister was unable to do so. Many literary works portray growth or refinement of certain characters; physically, mentally, or emotionally.
When people lose hope and fall into despair, their emotions take over and lead to decisions that can change one’s life. In the short story “Marigolds”, written by Eugenia Collier, 14-year-old Lizabeth lives during the Great Depression in a black community in Maryland. She loses hope after hearing about her family's struggles and ragingly destroys Miss Lottie’s marigolds. Though, she realizes what deep meaning they have and empathizes with Miss Lottie. Collier emphazises that the loss of hope doesn’t mean it’s all destructiveness, yet feeling empathy for others who have had similar experiences through symbols and conflicts.
In the short story, “Marigolds,” the author, Eugenia Collier, acknowledges the universal theme that people can create beauty in even the most dreariest of places. The story takes place in Maryland during the Great Depression. Lizabeth, the main character, is an adult looking back to the time when she had transitioned from childhood to womanhood. Miss Lottie, an old woman who lived in a shabby, broken down house, planted marigolds. As a child, Lizabeth had thought Miss Lottie to be a witch and despised the marigolds because it did not match the poverty and sadness that surrounded her.
The author of the short story uses change and contrast in characterisation to emphasise that people live life rather than just existing. The author initially characterises Jordan Matthews as a routine-driven, isolated and compassionless man. The central protagonist is contrasted with the character of the flower seller who is free-spirited, ephemeral, and associated with the natural world. Through an encounter between the two, Matthews first changes in subtle ways and gradually is transformed into a character that embraces freedom, values relationships and sees the world through the eyes of nature/ develops a love for nature. Through these techniques the author explores the detrimental effect of routine taking over Matthew’s life/ the continual
Empathy and compassion are cycled by humans in response to another’s emotions, suffering, and misfortune. They are what further one’s understanding of a relative homosapien. The Southern Gothic Fiction, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, pays tribute to both empathy and compassion in its telling of a young girl’s coming-of-age and probing how racism, prejudice, or in other words evil and morality coexist within a community. Furthermore, in the short fiction crisis, “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier, Lizabeth, a fourteen-year-old African American girl in Maryland, struggles to find herself in the midst of adolescence and economic calamity, the Great Depression. Overall, Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird best elicits compassion and
Some poems are lengthy, and some poems can be very short, however when analyzed, they all express a deeper message. For example, when examining the poem, "The Changeling," by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the reader can easily spot the important message which the author is trying to reveal to the reader through the use of poetic devices. When closely reading this poem, the language and the terminology applied by Cofer enhances the readers ability to make connections between the theme of this poem and how it can be applied to real world scenarios. The poetic devices incorporated into the poem, "The Changeling," reflect on how young children interpret gender roles in their own way.
Character Ambiguity in “The Great Gatsby” Throughout a large majority of fictional literature, the characters are constructed to act and react upon however the author fabricates them to be. Within the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Daisy Buchanan’s character can be interpreted in a variety of connotations; her attitudes and behaviors reflect on her morality. Throughout the narrative, Fitzgerald displays Daisy as a controversial character with examples of her ambiguous personality qualities and actions.
In “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier the coming of age short story where a now grown up Lizabeth reminisce her childhood especially going into Ms.Lottie’s garden. Ms. Lottie, who did not like children but treated her precious marigolds gets them destroyed by Lizabeth. After destroying them, Lizabeth realizes her errors believing she became a women in that moment. This short story has several literary device that are used in it to help deepen the meaning. The use of imagery, symbolism and metaphors in “Marigolds” helps the reader that it is important to not lose
In Transfiguration, the narrator Annie Dillard’s use of metaphors and imagery convey that one must entirely devote oneself to one’s passion. Dillard portrays how a moth flies into a candle and “blacken[s]” and “disappear[s] utterly” and she notices that the flame of the candle begins to grow as the parts of the moth begin to vanish. Significantly, the “spectacular skeleton began to act as a wick” which shows that the moth transfigures into a bright flame and has become a different element. The representation of a moth turning into a flame shows how the moth must cease to exist and take on a new form similarly to how Dillard approaches writing. Dillard believes that in order to pursue writing, one must dedicate oneself to the art of writing
In her short story “Marigolds”, Eugenia Collier, tells the story of a young woman named Lizabeth growing up in rural Maryland during the Depression. Lizabeth is on the verge of becoming an adult, but one moment suddenly makes her feel more woman than child and has an impact on the rest of her life. Through her use of diction, point of view, and symbolism, Eugenia Collier develops the theme that people can create beauty in their lives even in the poorest of situations. Through her use of the stylistic device diction, Eugenia Collier is able to describe to the reader the beauty of the marigolds compared to the drab and dusty town the story is set in.
Judith Ortiz Cofer’s work “The Changeling” depicts the exploits of a young girl “vying for her father’s attention” while her mother does not condone such behavior (2). The poem is told as a flashback, with the narrator recalling a memory from her childhood. It begins with the young girl describing a game she made so that her father would pay attention to her. Then she dresses up like a soldier and pretends to be a man as part of the game. Her mother disapproves of her dressing in that fashion and makes her change back into her regular clothes.
The vivid imagery contrasts considerably with the speaker’s identity, highlighting the discrepancy between her imagined and true personas. The speaker undergoes a symbolic transformation into a boy, but in order to do so, she must cast away her defining features as a woman. One way she does this is by repositioning
Lizabeth's immaturity takes a toll on her character. Lizabeth has many different sides to herself. She is immature, wild, and conflictual at times. In the short story "Marigolds" she uses those traits in transitioning from child to woman. In the end, she gains maturity.
