Summary Of Marigolds By Eugenia Collier

There are just a few defining moments in one’s life, when one is not a child, but an adult. In Eugenia W. Collier’s short story “Marigolds”, the narrator Lizabeth recognizes the moments she no longer felt like a child in a heartwarming narrative. Throughout the story, Lizabeth has a difficult time adapting to her new role and has many turning points. Reflecting back on her transition to adulthood, Lizabeth states “... I remember, that year, a strange restlessness of body and spirit, a feeling that something old and familiar was ending, and something unknown and therefore terrifying was beginning”(1)
Lizabeth first feels the consequence of her actions one day while destroying her neighbor Miss Lottie’s yard in a childish raid. As the oldest

Before this turning point she comments “we children, of course, were only vaguely aware of the extent of our poverty”(1), specifically alluding to her childhood. But not too long after the incident at Miss Lottie’s house, she changes her view and her “ world has lost its boundary lines”(4). She starts to realize that the world is not as good as it seems and that makes her question everything. The rose-tinted glasses from her childhood have come off and Lizabeth isn’t sure she likes what she sees. In her eyes, reality is a frightening

It happens when, many years later, she reflects on her experiences and her journey. As she thinks back on her wondrous road, she states that “The years have taken me worlds away from that time and place, from the dust and squalor of our lives, and from the bright thing I destroyed in a blind, childish striking out at God knows what”(5). Lizabeth understands the past and how she has changed. Lizabeth is more aware and observant, more compassionate and understanding, She is no longer living in blissful ignorance, and she realizes it. These are the true qualities of an