Parham Azarnia September 26th 2013
"The Flowers" Analytic essay
In life, many wonder at what age one becomes mature. Some say it varies from one person to another, some claim that the phase happens once the individual is of legal age. In the case of Alice Walker, the author of "The Flowers" believes that one no longer has the mentality of a child when they understand the meaning of death. The realization of death, and knowing that humans (or any other living being) do not live forever, marks a significant phase in life. Myop, a young girl who is carefree in her ways, goes off to the woods as she usually does with her mother to observe and play. However, this time Myop, stumbles upon the thief of her innocence: a dead body. In order to convey to the readers that the understanding of death is a vital step in maturity, one must look at the characterization, symbolism and the scenery of this short story.
Small-eyed Sphinx
English: Bouguereau's L'Innocence. Both young chil...
Short story collectionWalker uses characterization to develop an understanding of maturity through the use of Myop. To begin, one must know that Myop comes from the word myopia, meaning to have a lack of foresight or discernment (dictionary.com). We realize quickly in the beginning of the story that although Myop is knowledgeable, she is quite innocent. She is cautious enough to do what she has been taught, like look out for snakes, but it is evident that other than that, she has little to no troubles. Myop skips, collects flowers plays with sticks, perfectly naïve in her travels. However, this changes quickly when she stumbles upon the body of a man. With the typical innocence of a child, she is scared for only a moment and becomes curious. Curiosity, in this case, kills her childhood.