"The Flowers" by Alice Walker

Alice Walker delivers a powerful story about a young innocent African American girl who wonders from her house into the woods. Walker continues battles the polar ideologies of youth and innocence versus the cold and gloomy reality of the real world. Throughout the beginning of the story the main character Myro is displayed with great innocence such as "harvesting of the corn and cotton, peanuts and squash, made each day a golden surprise that caused excited little tremors to run up her jaws." Yet, Myro wonders into an unfamiliar place out in the woods behind her house. Walker does an amazing job at foreshadowing Myro's quest from innocence to a dark and unfamiliar place. As  Myro "made her own path, bouncing this way and that way, vaguely keeping an eye out for snakes." Snakes in this particular sentence clearly symbolizes the dangers of a dark and gloomy place, and truly forshadows the events that occur. Myro  sees an old, yet very filthy and disgusting man as shes collecting flowers. Walker never truly makes it clear the intentions of this man, but does bring him into the story with a purpose. Myro does not seem afraid, but is timid. The man does not seem unwelcome, but also seems diabolical in a sense. From my conclusion, it seems the man had taken this 10 year olds girls innocence. Walker uses lines such as "Frayed, rotted, bleached, and frazzled--barely there--but spinning restlessly in the breeze. Myop laid down her flowers." Traditionally, flowers symbolize innocence and youth, but the act of laying them down makes one believe that she lost her innocence. Walker adds at the end "and the summer was over." The way Walker tells the reader the season have changed symbolizes a new beginning. The tranfer from summer to fall portrays the change from youth and innocence to adulthood. Summer is seen to be a season of romanticism and youth and the way Walker portrays the end of the summer leads me to believe she has left her innocence in the summer. The story seems to take place during a time where African Americans were treated with hatred and cruelty. Walker does not specify that Myro was raped, but it almost seems that Myro had no choice. Considering her racial status during the time period it almost seems she was being used as an object. Walker does an amazing job at telling a story with underlying themes of sexism, youth and racism.