Alice Walkers The Flowers Essay -- English Literature Walker Flowers

Alice Walker's The Flowers 'The Flowers' is a short story written by Alice Walker. Walker is a black American writer, who is renown around the world, especially because of the ?book, turned movie? The Colour purple. Walker is extremely interested in the history of human rights, particularly the history of black women in the United States. Her writings often reflect this interest and they usually have dual meanings. Walker interpretates struggles of black women in her books, and The Flowers is no exception. It is about the end of innocence, of a young black child living in the 1930s. It reflects the unfairness of life, and the circumstances of the black people during that period in time. ?The Flowers? is about a girl named Myop, she is from an agricultural background (as most black Americans were in the 1930s). She is described as carefree and innocent. ? It seemed to Myop as she skipped lightly from hen house to pigpen?they days had never been as beautiful as these?. This suggests she is young and holds no major responsibilities, there are also connotations of lower class roots. The story goes on to describe her mini- travels throughout the fields, picking flowers and singing songs. This suggests the innocence she possesses as a young child. ? She was ten, and nothing existed for her but her song?. This openly tells the reader her young age, thus her lack of responsibility, which allowed her to skip around the fields aimlessly. The structure of the short story is basic. Each paragraph is more or less six lines long. It is set out in traditional short story style, each part coming in short bursts. The layout of the text makes it easier to read, and interpretate. It allows the story to ?f... ...e and purity within Myop. The wild pink flower used towards the end is used as symbolism. ? Very near where she?d stepped into the head was a wild pink rose.? The flower was a type of metaphor type factor, it symbolized the young and innocent Myop in the midst of a cold world full of brutal truths. Elements of weather is used to foreshadow what is coming. This was an effective tool which set the mood of the coming paragraphs. Walker also uses ongoing themes of racism, culture and struggle throughout the story, which is present in many of her writings. Alice Walker?s writing is beautifully written, and urges the reader to read between the lines. There is a theme of duality throughout, which is tactfully used. ?The Flowers? is a thought provoking story which highlights the struggles of black women that lived in the U.S.A during the 30s and onwards.