Analysis
Myop’s family lives in a sharecropper cabin, indicating that “The Flowers” is set in the aftermath of the Civil War. However, although the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments abolished slavery and expanded legal rights to Black Americans, racism remained a dominant force across the United States throughout the Reconstruction era, especially in the American South. Former slave owners were quick to discover new ways of securing cheap labor, which gave rise to the practice of sharecropping.
Sharecropping agreements consisted of a wealthy landowner setting up small cabins on the outskirts of their property and allowing families—most of whom were former slaves— to work a parcel of land. The sharecroppers would typically be allowed to keep some of the crop yield, with the rest being given back to the landowner as a form of payment. Land owners typically also dictated which crops were grown, and they held significant power within the local community. While some of the crops grown by sharecroppers were designated for their personal use and consumption, any excess was intended to be sold for a profit. However, in practice, sharecroppers were often forced to sell their crops back to the landowners, who set artificially low prices in order to entrap the sharecroppers in a cycle of debt. While sharecropping was technically not slavery, the level of exploitation and entrapment that many families fell into was in some ways comparable. Furthermore, since farm work is typically seasonal, many sharecropping families were forced to take out loans or scavenge for resources during the off-season. The cabin that Myop’s family lives in is described as “rusty,” and Myop and her mother have gone searching for nuts in years past, indicating that they live in relative poverty. Myop is young enough that the realities of racism have not yet invaded her consciousness, but they do form the backdrop of her daily life.
In addition to economic exploitation, racial violence also remained prevalent in the aftermath of the Civil War. In response to Black Americans receiving greater legal freedoms at the federal level, many states began passing increasingly malicious laws that were designed to inhibit or limit the ability of Black Americans to find economic, social, or political advancement. White supremacist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan also came into power, often using violent means to intimidate and control Black communities. Lynchings—extrajudicial killings typically perpetrated by mobs—against Black freedmen were tragically common, and those responsible rarely faced legal repercussions due to both government apathy and the difficulties associated with identifying those responsible for the murders. The man whose corpse Myop encounters is implied to be the victim of a lynching, as indicated by the condition of his teeth and the presence of the noose. That he was also beheaded after being hanged speaks to the particular cruelty, disrespect, and hatred he faced at the hands of his attackers.
By choosing a ten-year-old girl as her protagonist, Walker emphasizes the intergenerational aspects of racism and violence. Neither Myop nor the reader knows much about the man’s life, but he was “tall” and had “very big bones.” For most ten-year-olds, adults are a source of safety and comfort. Myop recalls that she has gone to pick nuts in the forest with her mother, which has given her the sense of safety and confidence she needs to traverse the forest alone. However, the size and stature of the dead man evokes the harsh reality that adults cannot fully protect children from systemic racism. Myop’s family has shielded her as best as they can up until now, and she has lived in a state of childlike...
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bliss. However, seeing the corpse of the lynched man is a forceful reminder that white supremacy and racist ideologies force many Black children to grow up too quickly.
The divide between innocence and discovery is emphasized by Walker’s use of diction and juxtaposition. As Myop begins her journey home, the action comes to a halt, as “it was then she stepped smack into his eyes.” The unique phrasing of this line is evocative of Myop’s tendency to live in the moment, as she gives no indication of who “he” is or that “he” is dead. Instead, the gruesome image of stepping into someone’s eyes is left to startle readers into recognizing that the story has fundamentally changed. Gone is the idyllic tale of an innocent young girl exploring a natural wonderland and collecting flowers. Instead, this has become a horror story in which the girl’s shoe has become stuck in a dead man’s skull. The comparatively calm narration and Myop’s childish interest in the scene contrast with the brutal reality of what she has encountered, evoking an almost dissociative state. Ultimately, rather than building into shock and horror, this dissociative state gives way to a sense of sadness and loss. The dead man has lost his life, and Myop has relinquished her flowers and thus ended the symbolic summer of her youth.
Literary Techniques
"The Flowers" spans less than two pages, yet Walker's narrative is packed with meaning. Initially, the narration is infused with the exuberance of childhood, mirroring Myop's excitement as she explores and delights in her surroundings. However, the tone dramatically shifts when Myop stumbles upon the body. The narrative then adopts a stark, straightforward description of Myop's curiosity and her discovery of the skeleton. Walker's jarring depiction of the noose, blending "benignly" into the soil, underscores the horror of Myop's realization that the man was lynched, marking the end of her carefree day and her innocent childhood. By choosing an old plowline for the noose, Walker may also suggest that African Americans were dehumanized, relegated to laborers even after the Civil War through practices like sharecropping.
The title "The Flowers" is rich in symbolism. Walker employs flowers and summer as metaphors for innocence and the purity of childhood. Throughout most of the story, Myop enjoys the summer and collects flowers, but in the final lines, Walker notes that Myop lays down the flowers and that summer is over. The flowers, dropped at the feet of the unburied man's body, might also represent a belated act of mourning. Furthermore, just as the man was denied a proper burial, the racist violence that ended his life remains unresolved, lingering like the frayed ends of the lynch rope.
Ideas for Group Discussions
"The Flowers" is a masterclass in precision and restraint. By narrating a single child's loss of innocence, Walker effectively highlights how the history of racial violence in America is often concealed and how it continues to scar the nation's landscape. Just as Myop must uncover the man's body and learn the details of his murder, Walker's epigraph indicates that society must endeavor to unearth this obscured past in its entirety. Moreover, there is a collective duty to recognize these historical atrocities. By confronting the past truthfully, society can take essential steps to address its enduring impact.
1. What do you think the flowers symbolize in this story?
2. Discuss the significance of the story's brevity and consider what remains unspoken. Offer some reasons why Walker might have chosen to omit certain elements that could have been included in a longer version.
3. Identify the benefits and dangers of childhood innocence. What risks does idealism pose in a racially prejudiced society?
4. What does the anonymous omniscient narrator contribute to the story?
5. Why do you think Walker shocks her readers with Myop's discovery? How does this relate to the idea of racial violence being a hidden part of history?
Literary Precedents
In several interviews, Walker has clearly expressed her gratitude towards the work of Zora Neale Hurston. Her book In Love and Trouble is even dedicated to Hurston's memory. Walker believes her work continues in Hurston's tradition by giving a voice to those who have historically been silenced and whose struggles have been overlooked. She mentions that she writes the stories she wished she could have read as a child but never found. Similar to Walker, Hurston's literature brings to light hidden narratives, such as African-American folk tales in Of Mules and Men (1935) and Tell My Horse (1938), as well as the voices of African-American women oppressed by both racism and sexism in Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937).
Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye (1972) is a contemporary work that holds particular significance to "The Flowers." Like Walker, Morrison illustrates the devastating impact of pervasive racism on the innocence and mental health of a young African-American girl. In Morrison's novel, the specific form of racism is embedded in the American ideal of feminine beauty, epitomized by Shirley Temple's blonde hair and blue eyes. This ideal excludes any notion or possibility of African-American beauty. The young protagonist, Pecola Breedlove, becomes obsessed with attaining this unattainable white ideal, leading to a madness that shatters her childhood and ultimately claims her life.