Loss of Innocence in Walkers The Flowers Essays - Pink

Each person enters this world void and free from of worldly sins. Knowledge, which can occur over a span of time or in the blink of an eye, steals this innocence. Alice Walker?s ?The Flowers? takes the reader on such a journey where a startling realization of the ways of the world steals the main character?s purity. The short story follows a young girl as she innocently explores the woods picking wild flowers. After she ventures further from her usual spot, she makes a shocking discovery of a dead man?s body along with the remains of a noose. The central point of ?The Flowers? is the loss of innocence that Walker effectively conveys using characterization, imagery, and symbolism. Walker expresses the predominant sense of lost virtue in ?The Flowers? with her vivid descriptions of the main character. In fact, the name Myop, which is short for the word myopia, signifies nearsightedness and lack of foresight. Therefore, the name itself personifies the essence of her character. In addition, the narrator?s words to describe Myop as she ?skipped lightly from hen house to pigpen to smokehouse? (Walker 82) convey the feeling of playfulness and cheerfulness. This adds to the reader?s interpretation of the main character?s presence and allows them to connect with her. Additionally, the narrator describes Myop, as ?ten, and nothing existed for her but her song?and the tat-de-ta-ta-ta of accompaniment? (82). Not only does her young age substantiate the pureness of her nature but also her naivety. Furthermore, Walker?s use of an onomatopoeic word sets the tone of childishness and immaturity. In addition to characterization, ?The Flowers? denotes the coming of age motif through Walker?s usage of imagery. As Myop decides to return to the ?peacefulness? of her house, ?It was then she stepped smack into his eyes? (Walker 82). The author?s use of the onomatopoeic word ?smack? paints a mental picture of her foot fixed in the man?s eyes, which is fitting since her eyes are now open to the brutalities of the world. In addition, the narrator describes the dead man?s clothes, as ?rotted away except some threads of blue denim from his overalls? (83), which gives the impression that the body had been there for a while. In the same manner, the narrator tells of the ?rotted remains of a noose? (83) and around a tree branch, another piece ?Frayed, rotted, bleached, and frazzled ? barely there ? but spinning restlessly in the breeze? (83). Walker?s repetitive use of the word ?rotted? drives home the imagery of maturity and the end of innocence. Symbolism is another way Walker illuminates the central loss of innocence premise of the story. As an illustration, Myop looks attentively at the area and notices ?Very near where she?d stepped into the head was a wild pink rose? (Walker 83). Notably, the pink rose represents innocent love, joy, and admiration. Ironically, Myop notices a noose ?around the rose?s root? (83) embodying the lynching of her innocence. The story concludes with, ?Myop laid down her flowers. And the summer was over? (83). The act of laying down the flowers signifies her grief over the death of her youth and virtue. In addition, summer, which is synonymous for relaxation and pleasure, has ended since she now grasps the harsh realities of the world. It is clear that this story portrays a child?s journey as she loses her purity, since the title of the story itself is symbolic of her virtue. The loss of innocence echoes throughout ?The Flowers? by Walker?s application of characterization, imagery, and symbolism. With the use of all these literary devices, Walker delivers a visible representation of the central point of the story. This idea is one that everyone has dealt with since childhood and has been a constant internal battle. As a person acquires understanding, he or she becomes impure due to negative perceptions within the knowledge discovered. This transformation transpires over a season or in an instant, without warning and malice.