Marigolds

Eugenia Collier employs juxtaposition within the text to contrast several major ideas, such as compassion and innocence and childhood and womanhood. These contrasts speak to the tradeoffs articulated by the narrator: Becoming compassionate requires hurting someone (a form of losing one’s innocence), and womanhood can only be achieved when childhood is cast off. The author also uses juxtaposition to explore the themes of Coming of Age and Creating Beauty in Ugliness.

When the story begins, Lizabeth is between childhood and womanhood, and this struggle is explored within the story, with the destruction of the marigolds marking the end of her childhood—a fact affirmed by the older Lizabeth, who narrates the story. The juxtaposition of Lizabeth’s adult narrative voice with the actions and words of her younger self shows that she grew in empathy and maturity only after she lost her innocence by hurting Miss Lottie in such a cruel way. The beautiful marigolds in Miss Lottie’s yard stand are juxtaposed with the ugliness of her house and her pitiable lifestyle, and this severe contrast incurs the wrathful attention of Lizabeth and neighborhood children.