In “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier, Miss Lottie’s old house, a symbol of poverty and sorrow, is surrounded with beautiful marigolds which she plants because the marigolds bring hope and happiness to a town that critically needs it. For example, the author describes Miss Lottie’s house as the most run down house in the town when she writes, “The sun and rain had long since faded its rickety frame siding from white to a sullen gray” (257). This shows that Miss Lottie’s house is old and falling apart and has not been repaired, which costs money that she does not have, like many others in the US during the Great Depression. This also shows that the house has gone from white, a new and bright color to gray, a gloomy and sad color, which symbolizes