Perspectives
Literary period
The short story “The Flowers” by Alice Walker has modernist features. A common feature shared by many modernist literary works is the focus on symbolism. In “The Flowers”, Walker inserts symbolism related to independence, loss of innocence, and death.
Also, modernist fiction tends to focus less on the plot and more on the inner development of the characters. This also happens in “The Flowers”, where the dead body that Myop finds triggers a change in the girl, who loses her innocence and takes a step towards maturity.
Modernist authors also tend to present contemporary issues and find inspiration in their own backgrounds. In “The Flowers”, the themes of violence and racism directed against black people remind readers of Alice Walker’s activism for African-American civil rights.
