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Kristin McKeown
Mr. Fabbri
English I Period 4
20 October 2010
Rites of Passages Between Two Unlike, Yet Similar Girls
Two African American, young girls, Myop and Lizabeth have struggles to overcome
along their rite of passages. Both Myop and Lizabeth must journey through their rites of passages
to discover what lies after their obstacles. In the short story, “The Flowers,” by Alice Walker,
Myop, a ten-year-old learns that creating her own path one day in the woods will end up with her
learning the reality of racism, discrimination and prejudice. On the other hand, Lizabeth from the
story, “Marigolds,” by Eugenia W. Collier, is a fifteen-year-old learns that her father is not at all
the real superman that she thought he was and how people in poverty can treasure such little
things, such as flowers. Both girls will have to mature and learn how to overcome the obstacles
that will face them along their rites of passages.
Myop and Lizabeth both begin as young, unaware African American girls, to mark them
as innocent. Myop goes on walks with her mother to collect nuts among the fallen leaves and just
nearly everyday she would play behind her house. She, “…Worked out the beat of a song on the
fence around the pigpen” (Walker 1). This indicates that Myop is carefree and enjoys to be a
child, with the freedom to run around. Also, it shows that she has no responsibilities to worry
about. However, Lizabeth would play outside with her brother and his friends. They especially
enjoyed bothering Miss. Lottie and her son, John Burke. “I was still child enough to scamper
along with the group over rickety fences and through bushes that tore our already ragged clothes
back to where Miss. Lottie lived” (Collier 3). Lizabeth acts childishly with her brother and her
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friends when they decide to bother Miss. Lottie. They also act adventurous because all of them
take chances of bothering Miss. Lottie and John Burke. These two innocent girls will be faced
against challenges that they must find the solution to.
Both Myop and Lizabeth must overcome difficult journeys. Myop explores behind her
house everyday, except for this day. She decided that she was going to make her own path and
journey off beyond where she would normally go with her mother. “…She was a mile or more
from home. She had often been as far before, but the strangeness of the land made it not pleasant
as her usual haunts” (Walker 2). Myop is seen as unfamiliar with her surroundings and she could
be in danger. When she gets lost, she is nervous and scared that something could happen to her
because she is alone. Similar to Myop, Lizabeth also has journeys to face. Lizabeth does just
about the same activity everyday with her younger brother and his friends, because she lives in a
rural suburb of Maryland, in a poor community during the time of the Depression. “We children,
of course, were only vaguely aware of the extent of our poverty. Having no radios, few
newspapers, and no magazines, we were somewhat unaware of the world outside of our
community” (Collier 2). Lizabeth realizes that she is in poverty just like many other people
during the time of the Depression. By knowing that she is in poverty, she also knows about
discrimination. As a result, Myop and Lizabeth learn about the world around them and how to
overcome the difficulties that come with it.
Myop and Lizabeth are both faced with epiphanies along each of their journeys that they
suddenly realize will change their lives forever. As Myop skips through the woods, on her own
new path, she becomes unfamiliar with her surroundings. As she continues deeper through the
woods, she eventually comes across something that will end her summer. “He had been a tall
man. From feet to neck covered a long space. When she pushed back the layers of Earth and
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debris, Myop saw that he’d had large white teeth, all of cracked or broken, long fingers and very
big bones” (Walker 2). Myop realizes that she has come across a dead man along her walk
through the woods. She notices all of the features of this man and can see that he was an African
American, most likely a man who had been lynched and had clearly been beaten. However,
Lizabeth realizes how little things can change. Lizabeth learns about how her father is no
superman and how her family is in deep poverty. After this, she takes her anger out on Miss.
Lottie’s marigolds ripping them all out because she does not understand them. “The witch was
no longer a witch but only a broken old woman who had dared to create beauty in the midst of
ugliness and sterility” (Collier 10). Lizabeth suddenly realizes that the marigolds were one of the
only things that Miss. Lottie loved and care about. Lizabeth realizes that Miss. Lottie is no longer
a witch like she thought, but just an innocent old woman who had a bad life. As a result, both
Myop and Lizabeth realize how being young and naive can change quickly.
Myop and Lizabeth both reflect back onto what they have learned through their journeys
and epiphanies. After Myop discovers the body of the African American man, she collects a
bundle of flowers in respect for the man. “Frayed, rotted, bleached, and frazzled—barely there—
but spinning restlessly in the breeze. Myop laid down her flowers” (Walker 2). Myop’s summer
ended after she laid down her flowers because that was the end of the childhood and innocence.
She learns that this man was physically beat to death because of racism and prejudice. Compared
to Myop, Lizabeth learns why the marigolds meant so much to Miss. Lottie. After Lizabeth had
teared up the marigolds in Miss. Lottie’s yard, she reflected back and realized that Miss. Lottie
was trying to create something beautiful. “And I too have planted marigolds” (Collier 10).
Lizabeth realizes how important and significant the marigolds were to Miss. Lottie; she takes on
the task of planting marigolds since she realized that they brought beauty to the old, poor town
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that they lived in. When Lizabeth and Myop both reflected onto what they had learned, they
realized that significance of reality.
Myop and Lizabeth have the duty of maturing and learning about how to overcome
obstacles that they would be faced against through their rites of passages. Each character, Myop
and Lizabeth have changed drastically through each of their stories. Myop learned about racism,
discrimination, and how prejudice people can be after she discovers the dead, African American
man in the woods. She changes through the story by becoming independent, by creating her own
path in the woods and her innocence ends after she lays down her flowers in respect for the dead
man. As for Lizabeth, she learns that her father is no superman like she pictured him as being,
and poverty during the Depression. She changes by becoming mature and no longer innocent
after she ripped up all of the flowers in Miss. Lottie’s yard. The journeys of Myop and Lizabeth
dictated the direction of their lives and them becoming mature young woman effects how the rest
of their lives will be lived.