Diego Salvador
Mr. Griggs
COM 1102
02/26/2022
The Truth Behind
Many authors in pieces of literature like short stories utilize different techniques that may be
hidden throughout their story story that help express the true meaning and messages they
want to convey to the readers. In “The Flowers” there exist various elements of imaginative
fiction that the author, Alice Walker, uses to reveal the themes of the story. The elements of
beauty in nature, the conflict of a child’s happiness clashing with the cruel reality, and Myop’s
own character, help reveal the theme of loss of innocence and discrimination.
First of all, the setting of the flower is that of a beautiful farm during the summer with
flourished nature surrounding it. Alice utilizes this setting to create an atmosphere that gives
the main character a sense of freedom and beauty, setting a barrier to the outer world and
making her careless of anything else outside her life. This beauty that’s been attained from
being ignorant is soon diminished as Myop’s curiosity grows and she ventures deeper into the
woods. Alice Walker, makes Myop step further and further from her bubble while she is
exploring this nature, and this represents how she is pulling away from her integrity as a child
and creating a sense of urgency that inevitably leads to her losing this innocence when finding
the body of the dead man.
The next factor presented by Alice was the conflict between Myops happi This is a character
This influenced the themes
Alice Walker describes Myop as an African American girl that has around 10 years old who is
living together with her sharecropper parents. This suggests that she comes from a poor
background that struggles while selling their crops to their landlords. The meaning of Myop’s is
that of “nearsightedness” and it also describes her own character with her not being able to see
the big picture of her situation. The author makes sure to relate all these features and
meanings when Myop finds the truth about death and how African Americans during that time
were being discriminated against.
To conclude these the elements of nature, conflict of losing happiness to reality, and Myops
character are all hints that are given by author throughout the story and help express her
overall message and the hidden truth behind The Flowers. Alice Walker wants us to understand
that people, just like children may be blinded when having good and happy days, but at the end
of it all, us as humans always encounter different experiences that make us realize the how
difficult and harsh life can be and how easily we can lose our lives.