Marigolds by Eugene Collier (MYTHIC APPROACH)

Marigolds by Eugene Collier (MYTHIC APPROACH)

Introduction

Marigolds is a story that was written in the year 1969 by Eugenia Collier with its main character being Lizabeth, a young African girl growing up in the rural set up of Maryland who is introduced in a self-reflective mood “when I think of the home town of my youth, all that I seem to remember is dust, the crumbly brown dust of the late summer”(page228). The story has been set up during an era when humanity was never self-forgiving with various challenges such as poverty, cruelty, intolerance, among other human problems.  The story portrays different characters regarding Lizabeth’s life in an early age and also during her development process. At the start, the girl is never cautious of her actions, and this leads her to various controversies in her childhood, which include making fun of Miss Lottie’s mentally sick son.

In the same way, Lizabeth disrespects Miss Lottie on many occasions, including destroying her flowers and continuously calling her a witch although she is aware that Lottie is not a witch. In the midst of all the challenges that surround Lizabeth’s family, she eventually decides to seek challenges by getting dressed, awakening his brother ready to start a course that is meant to change the fortunes of her family. This is a decision after to secretly listening to a conversation between her parents where his father expresses his fear   about his inability to provide for his family.

Marigolds by Eugene collier is an essay that creates a connection between the past struggles that Lizabeth’s family and community went through and how various life aspects change within time. The author of the story, professor Eugenia Collier was born in April 1928 and attended Howard University in 1948. In 1950, she received M.A from Columbia University and her PhD in 1976 from the University of Maryland.

In the story, the author captures different scenarios which impact life in positive dimensions. One of this scenarios is the maturity that exhibited by Lizabeth towards Miss Lottie after realizing her mistakes. The act reaffirms a sense of maturity that is aided by a desire of reflection of one’s own deeds. In the book, the author reaffirms that a mature individual is one who takes time to reflect on his/her deeds, one who does everything possible to make the world a better place to live in which Lizabeth and her father does.

Equally, the author captures a scenario that injects optimism and strength, especially that exhibited by Lizabeth’s parents. The father, in a lovely way explains his fear to his wife by telling her how insecure he was financially. The wife, in return responds using a calm and soothing voice, which calms the father during the discussions. The response, on the other hand, offers hope to the father since the wife reminds him that however, how difficult the situation is, they are still trudging on. The author also goes ahead to state that we should always stand for what is right regardless of the price and the situation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the story of Marigolds by Eugene Collier captures and outlines various themes that interconnect the pact and the present happenings. The themes  also act as a reminder that life is a continuous struggle which changes with time amid anger, resentment, and despair. One of these themes is poverty.  This theme is illustrated by the constant working of Lizabeth’s parents in trying to seek the daily livelihood at the times of Great depression. By the time the parents are not around, their absence acts as a motivational source of the young Lizabeth even as she tracks the parent’s conversation at times. Through the discussions, the dad confesses to her mother on how insecure and unworthy he is since he cannot provide the required needs for his family. This directs Lizabeth to obtain an uncontrollable rage, which leads to the destruction of Miss Lottie’s marigolds. (Pages 221-222, Collier).

Another theme that has been outlined in this story is the story of Maturity. This theme becomes clear the moment Lizabeth realizes her mistakes in the way she treated Miss Lottie by branding her a witch and destroying her marigold flowers. “Old witch, fell in a ditch, picked up a penny and thought she was rich” (page 233). Immediately she realizes her mistakes; she feels terrible about herself and develops empathy towards Miss Lottie and instantly develops affection for older women.

Empathy and compassion are also demonstrated as a theme. Before destroying Miss Lottie’s flowers and calling her a witch, Lizabeth never had love and compassion for fellow beings. With time and reflection, Lizabeth realized that she was wrong to treat others in such a way, especially Miss Lottie. This forces her to change her attitude and starts developing empathy and compassion towards other people as the story clearly states.

Book Cited

Marigolds by Eugene Collier