Many were affected by the Great Depression in 1930s. This time was very difficult for many families, especially those of African American descent living in rural Maryland. There have been many stories about families in distress during the Depression. It was common for children to grow up quickly. Eugenia Colelier’s novel “Marigolds”, Lizabeth is a young African American girl that transforms into a compassionate and sensitive child.
Lizabeth’s childhood innocence is a time of pure bliss in “Marigolds”. The story opens by the main character recalling her childhood growing up in a shantytown that was poor. Joey, Lizabeth’s younger brother suggests that Lizabeth have some fun on a hot summer’s day. Joey’s eyes sparkled and Joey agreed. “Let’s go to Miss Lottie’s. It was a great idea, as Miss Lottie is always annoying. They mapped out their attack plan when they reached Miss Lottie’s old, decaying house. The brightly-colored marigolds Mrs. Lottie had planted stood out in her barren garden. The children all tore at Miss Lottie’s marigolds and threw rocks at them. They hated the brightly colored blossoms. They were ugly and a distraction to the beauty of the area. Miss Lottie got upset at the children’s wild laughter and became angry. Lizabeth felt guilty for throwing the pebbles at flowers. But she didn’t understand why. Lizabeth is now able to recognize her feelings and realize that she can become a compassionate person. Lizabeth wakes in the middle night to find her father and mother fighting over support for the family. She sobs and says that her father is sobbing. I’d never heard a man cling before. I didn’t know that men could cry. I covered my ears and tried to drown out my father’s deep, bitter, despairing sobs with my hands. Lizabeth was shocked to hear her father’s cries. She had never heard a man sobbing before. Then she leapt out of the window and began walking. She realized that she was walking towards Miss Lottie’s home. She ran up to Miss Lottie’s flowerbed and crushed all of the marigolds. “I jumped furiously into the mounds full of marigolds, pulling madly and trampling the perfect yellow blooms. All were gone by Miss Lottie’s arrival to inspect the situation. It was then that Lizabeth lost her childhood. She realized Miss Lottie didn’t have the power to make beauty from the midst ugly and sterile. Lizabeth had lost her innocence as a child.
Eugenia Collins’ “Marigolds,” a story about Lizabeth, a young African American girl growing up, shows how she transforms into a sensitive and compassionate child during times of great hardship. Like many children growing up during the Depression years, Lizabeth also experienced the end to childhood innocence and beginning to become a woman. After her innocence was lost, the years passed. She quickly realized that she was seeing things as they were, not as the true value of them.
