In the coming-of-age story "The Flowers," Alice Walker effectively plays an endearing and innocent African-American girl whose transition into adulthood adult occurs suddenly and without warning. It begins with a rosy, light-hearted illustration of Myop's life and ends with a horrific and sobering event that changes her forever: she comes across the body of an African-American man who, as she quickly realized, was lynched for his skin color. With stunning images, Walker shows how this discovery transforms Myop and forces her into adulthood early. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the opening paragraphs of the story, Walker introduces Myop and the scene as happy and serene. "[Myop] was jumping lightly... the days had never been as beautiful as these... she was playing the rhythm of a song... she felt light and good in the warm sun." Then, in the third paragraph, Walker begins to insert very subtle hints about what is to come. For example, "Myop watched the tiny white bubbles disturb the fine black scale of the ground and the water that rose silently and slid down the stream" is actually an allusion to the relationship between whites and blacks. Myop, however, is obviously unaware of a larger symbolic importance; she is simply enjoying a day outside, observing the ground and water and picking flowers which also represent her purity and innocence. The fifth paragraph is actually the beginning of Myop's transition into adulthood. Walker indicates this “beginning” by indicating the time: “By noon, her arms full of strands…she was a mile or more from home.” Citing this specific time is Walker's subtle way of indicating the transition – from morning to evening, from light to darkness. Unwilling to leave, Myop “returns home, returns to the tranquility of the morning” – but it is then that she enters “straight into the eyes”, indicating this sudden transition of understanding, which occurs in an instant, that whether or not. not you want it and changes your life forever. This key image in the story reaches its climax when Myop, picking a pink rose for her bouquet of flowers, notices the noose with which the dead man was hanged. She then realizes how this grotesque and brutal death is linked to her own heritage and, “out of respect”, she puts down the flowers she had picked. Initially representing her childhood innocence, the flowers – once placed – represent her transition from childhood to adulthood. By leaving them, Myop seems to have realized that the world is not as happy and flowery as it seemed a few moments before. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay “The Flowers,” while short and seemingly simple, is a powerful depiction of how events far beyond a child's control can come out of nowhere and change them completely. Facing not only murder but also lynching, a crime that Myop knew targeted "people like her," it forced Myop to immediately grow up in a way that people who live without fear of racism could not. TO DO. Walker's coming-of-age story is all the more effective – and important – because of its social and historical relevance. Works Cited: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Sanitary. Klasen, E. and Ostermann, M. (2019). Women's rights and open defecation in rural India: assertions and denials../