“MARIGOLDS”
CLOSE READING
The story begins with this line: “When I think of
the hometown of my youth, all that I seem to
remember is dust—the brown, crumbly dust of
late summer—arid, sterile dust that gets into the
eyes and makes them water, gets into the throat
and between the toes of bare brown feet.”
1. What does the dust symbolize? What kind of
place is the setting of this story?
She goes on and says, “Memory is an abstract
painting—it does not present things as they are,
but rather as they feel.”
2. What does this mean?
THERE IS ONE THING THAT IS DIFFERENT,
THAT STANDS OUT IN THE SHANTYTOWN THE
NARRATOR DESCRIBES.
3. WHAT IS IT? FIND WHERE SHE STATES THIS.
ON THE FIRST PAGE, FIRST COLUMN, THE NARRATOR
DESCRIBES HER FEELINGS THAT SUMMER, “CHAOTIC
EMOTIONS OF ADOLESCENCE, ILLUSIVE AS SMOKE, YET
AS REAL AS THE POTTED GERANIUM BEFORE ME NOW.
JOY AND RAGE AND WILD ANIMAL GLADNESS AND SHAME
BECOME TANGLED TOGETHER IN THE MULTICOLORED
SKEIN OF 14-GOING-ON-15 AS I RECALL THAT
DEVASTATING MOMENT WHEN I WAS SUDDENLY MORE
WOMAN THAN CHILD.”
4. THE NARRATOR USES BOTH SIMILES AND METAPHORS
IN THIS PASSAGE. WHAT ARE THEY?
5. WHAT OTHER INFORMATION DO WE GET ABOUT THE
NARRATOR IN THIS PASSAGE?
6. DOES THE DEPRESSION AFFECT
THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY
WHERE THE NARRATOR IS GROWING
UP? EXPLAIN.
7. WHAT WERE THEY WAITING FOR?
8. WERE THE CHILDREN AWARE OF
THEIR POVERTY?