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The short story “The Flowers” by Alice Walker has a title that carries a lot of symbolic meaning

Initially, the flowers symbolize beauty and innocence: “She found, in addition to various common but pretty ferns and leaves, an armful of strange blue flowers with velvety ridges and a sweetsuds bush full of the brown, fragrant buds” (p. 107, ll. 21-24). The beauty of the flowers attracts Myop, who picks a big bouquet and intends to bring them home. 

Towards the end of the story, the flowers receive a new meaning. When Myop notices the remains of the noose hanging on an oak tree, she places the flowers down, a gesture which is associated with her sudden loss of innocence (p. 108, ll. 10-11). Initially, Myop is not afraid of the dead body, but when she discovers that the man was hanged, the realization makes her aware of the racist motivation behind the man’s murder. She realizes that the world is in fact full of racism and hate, not just beauty. When Myop puts the flowers down, autumn begins. All in all, this symbolizes a loss of innocence and a step towards maturity

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