In the short story “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier, the theme of there is beauty in life for those who are willing to see it applies to Miss Lottie. Through many children’s eyes, including Lizabeth, the main character, they viewed Miss Lottie as a witch. In reality, she is merely a broken woman who tried to grasp onto the last ray of hope in the shanty town. The marigolds bring joy and love into her life. On page 223 of “Marigolds”, it states, “...only a broken woman who had dared to create beauty in the midst of ugliness and sterility. She had been born in squalor and lived in it all her life.” Miss Lottie dealt with the poverty-stricken life for years. She owned the most run-down house in the town, along with having a mentally disabled son. To her, the beauty of the marigolds lighten and bring colors to the ugly surroundings. Despite how desperate times are, Miss Lottie still enjoys painstaking the breathtaking yellow flowers that washed her worries away. The marigolds hold a special place in her heart, where it flourish above the dry soil and sprout into bright petals that emits the same light as the sun. …show more content…
Something bad had to happen for someone to realize the good. Johnny was injured badly through the fire incident and it made him realize the harsh reality of their world, reminding Ponyboy to “stay gold” before he passed away. In the book, it asserts, “‘Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold…’ The pillow seemed to sink a little, and Johnny died.” All good things come to an end eventually. Through his statement, Johnny reminds Ponyboy not to change for the world and become senseless with certain emotions. He wants his friend to stay true to himself like watching the sunset, along with remaining unblemished in the corrupt world. Childhood like gold, can not last forever and Johnny tells Ponyboy to keep his youthful innocence by saying “stay
After hearing enough Lizabeth became so overwhelmed she went to Miss. Lottie’s house and did something she would never forget. She ripped out all of Miss. Lottie’s marigolds from the root until Miss. Lottie came outside.
Meanwhile, Johnny came to support Ponyboy in saving the kids. The two boys risked their lives for others and thought about someone else besides themselves. All in all, Johnny and
Ch 9 Pg 148 “Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold…” The quote is significant by connecting to an Essential question because in Johnny’s last words he refrences the same Robert Frost poem that Ponyboy repeated outloud when they were sitting on the back porch of the church.
“Miss Strangeworth is a familiar fixture in a small town where everyone knows everyone else. Little do the townsfolk suspect, though, that the dignified old woman leads another, secret life…”. A secret life can be evil or good, in Miss Strangeworth’s case it is suitable, but do others appreciate this secret life. In The Possibility of Evil Shirley Jackson illustrates inner thinking, revealing action, and symbolism to show how Miss Strangeworth tends the people like her roses, but truly state's them evil.
In page 56 it states “ I’m drowning, I thought, they’ve gone too far …” and “ I killed him,” he said slowly. “I killed that boy.” This shows where Johnny saved Ponyboy from drowning. Johnny is also a hero when he helped get the little kids get out of the church that was on fire. In the text it states “ He looked over his shoulder and saw that the door was blocked by the flames, then pushed open the window and tossed out the nearest kid.”
Paragraph two. Johnny was a hero to Ponyboy and to the children in the burning church. Johnny saved Ponyboy’s life when a Soc named Bob was drowning Pony in the fountain by stabbing Bob. Johnny said on page 57 in the book,”they were drowning you, they might have killed you. Johnny made a difficult choice which ended up with Pony’s life being spared but Bob died.
He wanted everyone to know that there was still good in the world. In conclusion, the book The Outsiders explain a hidden message through Johnny that is said to only Ponyboy because he is innocent and unique. Johnny’s final wish before he passes away is that Ponyboy will stay gold because it was truly an important theme in S. E. Hinton’s story. Therefore, S. E. Hinton wanted Johnny’s powerful and final message to the readers of The Outsiders to be stay gold, hoping you will,
In the short story, “Marigolds,” the author, Eugenia Collier, acknowledges the universal theme that people can create beauty in even the most dreariest of places. The story takes place in Maryland during the Great Depression. Lizabeth, the main character, is an adult looking back to the time when she had transitioned from childhood to womanhood. Miss Lottie, an old woman who lived in a shabby, broken down house, planted marigolds. As a child, Lizabeth had thought Miss Lottie to be a witch and despised the marigolds because it did not match the poverty and sadness that surrounded her.
Johnny shows Ponyboy that the world isn’t corrupt with mean people and that it is still full of good. Johnny stated in the note Ponyboy found in the book Gone With The Wild that it is was worth saving the kids even if it meant his life. He also stated that the poem in the book meant “He meant you’re gold when you’re a kid,like green… and don’t get bugged over being a greaser. You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want. There’s still lots of good in the world” (Hinton 178-9).
The world she lived in was so ugly and plain and she choose to “create beauty in the midst of [all that] ugliness" (62). This helps to create the theme because even though Miss Lottie had so little she still worked hard to care for the beautiful marigolds. In “Marigolds” the author uses diction, symbolism and point of view, to develop the theme that people can create beauty even in the poorest of situations. Through diction, Collier is able to show the reader the contrast between the beauty of the marigolds compared to the run-down town the story is set in.
The church that Johnny and Ponyboy stayed in burnt down. Thus, Johnny died. Although they share a great deal of similarities the movie and novel are very different.
Have you ever read the book marigolds? There are many themes that describe the story. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, millions of americans experienced proverty due to widespread unemployment . in age of racial segregation and prejudice, they generally had less jobs opportunities.the author
He also says that he shouldn’t “…be so bugged over being a greaser. You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want.” Johnny is refereeing to how Ponyboy has a bright future and he can make with his life whatever he pleases. Pony finally understood what Johnny meant when he said, “stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold…”
This shows how he gained back his self-confidence and his ability to stand up for himself. Johnny finally found his acceptance from Dally when Dally said, “We’re all so proud of you” (148). When Dally said that Ponyboy noticed Johnny’s eyes glowing, “Dally was proud of him... That was all he ever wanted” (148). In the letter he wrote to Ponyboy, “It’s worth saving those kids...
Miss Brill is lonely, has a completely messed up mind, and tries to hide her true self by trying to live other people’s lives. Miss Brill views each person at the garden differently. The people who are mostly like her are the ones she judges the most, “Miss Brill had often noticed-there was something funny about nearly all of them. They were odd, silent, nearly all old, and from the way they stared they looked as though they’d just come from dark little rooms or even-even cupboards!” (Mansfield 185).