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The Flowers By Alice Walker

652 Words3 Pages

The Loss of Innocence: A Reflection on Childhood
Childhood never returns. Once a person matures past a state of innocence, they will never revert back to the child they once were. There are many ways people try to relive the early childhood experiences they once had or badly wanted to have but, once the opportunity to live in the moment is confiscated, it will not be bestowed again. In Alice Walker’s short story, “The Flowers,” she illustrates the ways in which a child perceives life through an innocent and mature perspective and how one’s impoverishment of innocence, alters their outlook.

At the beginning of the story, innocence is symbolized through Walker’s main character: Myop. Myop is a curious, kind-hearted, ten-year-old girl, who enjoys …show more content…

Myop’s childlike innocence and playful inquisitiveness are apparent in her way of exploring the forest and her ability to revel in the small things she comes across. To illustrate, “Myop watched the tiny white bubble disrupt the thin black scale of soil and the water that silently rose and slid away down the stream” (Walker 38). Even though bubbles are a natural occurrence within any stream, Myop observes them with fascination and enthusiasm. Walker’s use of the word “disrupt” insinuates that the girl views the bubble as a disruption to the inherent arrangement of things, which is representative of her unsophisticated and guileless perspective of the world. It is clear that Myop’s world is filled with wonder and elation because she is able to find joy in the most elementary of things. Her curiosity and eagerness to venture into the forest are indicative of her youthful and carefree spirit, unimpeded by the intricacies of adulthood. To this extent, Walker successfully encapsulates the quintessence of childhood, where the simplest of pleasures can bring the greatest of joys, through Myop's character. In summary, Walker proficiently wields Myop's character to embody the beauty and purity of childhood--a world unblemished by the intricate and convoluted characteristics of

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