*Best viewed on laptop
A link to the pdf I will be analysing:
The Flowers by Alice Walker.pdf
Choice of style: the story introduces a very lighthearted style and story, which makes the climax even more shocking when it completely turns around by the protagonist finding a corpse.
Detailed description: the description of the place and the actions of the child seem endearing, bringing the reader closer to the protagonist by creating an innocent and beautiful atmosphere. Nature holds a big importance.
The actions of the child: when Myop encounters the dead body, rather than being scared by the finding and the realisation of what had happened, she experiences curiosity and grief for the man and her people.
Racial violence: through the previous point (description), the reader is able to identify the corpse as a black man, even if this fact isn’t directly mentioned in the story. We know this through the clothes (a denim overall), and the noose found with him, as well as the broken teeth, sign that the man had been tortured. Another note on racial violence is the mention of cotton-picking at the beginning of the story, done by Mayop’s parents, event that she remembers and experiences as something fun, indicating how innocent and naïve the child is.
Key phrases: some phrases contain a very important meaning, such as the closing line “And the summer was over”. Rather than explaining the literal ending of the season, this phrase expresses a metaphor for the ending of Myop’s childhood and complete innocence, once she finds out the cruel reality of the world she lives in. In literature, seasons are very symbolic.