childlike character. Her "clear and blue" eyes symbolize that she sees the world untainted—many dolls have clear blue eyes because babies' eye color starts out blue before pigmentation sets in. Lily has not matured enough to let her individuality set in, which, to Old Woman Magoun, would be something akin to sin. Magoun wants to control Lily, keeping her innocent as a child forever.

Lily is also set up here as being very naïve and gullible because she does not really look at reality but looks "past" everything instead of at it. Again, like a baby that looks at the world and does not really comprehend what they see, Lily can look upon a corrupt, dangerous reality and not see with anything but wonder because she has not experienced corruption (and also because she is used to filtering her reality through Old Woman Magoun).

Lily may also be a bit of an idealist at heart, as the quote states directly that she would likely grow into an "artist or a poet." The quote implies that, if Lily had survived, she may have grown into someone stronger than her grandmother: someone able to make something beautiful of anything, no matter how dark. Artists, by profession, take the subject matter of an imperfect world and, with aesthetics and vision, make it more beautiful.

"How old are you, my dear?"

"Fourteen," replied Lily.

The man looked at her with surprise. "As old as that?"

Lily suddenly shrank from the man. She could not have told why. She pulled her little hand from his, and he let it go with no remonstrance. She clasped both her arms around her rag doll, in order that her hand should not be free for him to grasp again.

In this excerpt, Jim Willis's comment shows the reader that Lily's maturation has been stunted beyond what was typically expected in her era. His surprise at her age seems to awaken within Lily the realization of how she is perceived by others: specifically, how she is perceived by men. By holding his hand and being walked into town, Lily is startled to realize that she could be sexualized. The quote shows that people perceive Lily as too childlike and assume that she should act more like a woman.

When she clasps her rag doll so that "her hand should not be free for him to grasp again," it is a symbolic act wherein she is choosing to hold onto her innocence and imagination awhile longer. Lily is not ready to "hold hands" with societal expectations by having a physical relationship or to be figuratively led around by any man. While people did marry younger at the time this story was written, this quote still reflects themes of pedophilia (present throughout the story, as Willy is attracted to Sally, who still looks, feels, and acts like a child).

Lily started and looked at her, as if to make sure that it was her grandmother who spoke. Then she sat down on a stone which was comparatively free of the vines. . . . She began idly picking at the blackberry-vines; there were no berries on them; then she put her little fingers on the berries of the deadly nightshade. "These look like nice berries," she said.

Old Woman Magoun, standing stiff and straight in the road, said nothing.

"They look good to eat," said Lily.

Old Woman Magoun still said nothing, but she looked up into the ineffable blue of the sky, over which spread at intervals great white clouds shaped like wings.

This quote is at the climax of the story, where Old Woman Magoun indirectly murders Lily by not telling her that the nightshade berries are deadly. Description tells that the clouds are shaped like wings. Magoun here assumes that heaven has orchestrated Lily's death as an act of mercy since she was not transferred to her care, which was Lily's last opportunity to escape the control of Nelson Barry. Magoun probably sees the clouds shaped like angels because it is her belief that Providence is watching over the scene.

It is also notable that, at this point, Lily is seated on a bare stone—like a Biblical altar—one that innocent animals would have been slaughtered upon in an act of worship or atonement. With Lily staged upon this altar with angel clouds above, it does almost seem like Providence set Lily up to make the fatal error here; ultimately, however, it was Magoun's choice to stop there, and it was also her choice not to tell Lily that the nightshade berries were dangerous.

"And all the dolls are alive," said Old Woman Magoun. "Dolls like yours can run, and talk, and love you back again."

Lily had her poor old rag doll in bed with her, clasped close to her agonized little heart.

In this quote, Old Woman Magoun is watching Lily die and tries comforting her with images of a happy afterlife to distract her from her physical agony. The dolls are mentioned once again because they represent innocence and childlike imagination. Magoun is saying that Lily will be able to hold on to her innocent perspective forever because she will not live long enough to see the corruption of reality.

In the quote, Magoun depicts innocent, reciprocal relationships between Lily and her dolls. She says the dolls will be alive; Lily's childlike imagination will never die, and so she will always be able to fantasize that they are real (the way that children do).

Magoun also says that dolls will "love" Lily back; Lily will be able to have the kind of reciprocal, innocent love relationship with her dolls in heaven that she would be unable to have on earth—both with her biological father and with Old Woman Magoun. Nelson Barry would have given her to Willie Jenkins over a game of cards, which shows how little he cares for his child; he also demonstrated a repulsive physical admiration for his daughter when he kissed her while drunk. And Old Woman Magoun, rather than continuing to care for Lily the best she can—even from a distance—decides to force Lily into her afterlife. Magoun says that Lily is like an uncared for doll; but in heaven, she says, Lily will have and be able to give the innocent care she deserves.