3. Discuss the significance of no marigolds blooming in the fall of 1941.

Intro

Body Paragraph 1 Nature surroundings, nurture,

Body Paragraph 2- Deflowering (barren wasteland and insanity)

Body Paragraph 3- Black Dirt, Pecola (irony?)

Body Paragraph 4- When seeds in nature are planted, that is the way a

species of plant continues into the future.

marigolds did not bloom because some soil is just not meant for certain flowers.

"We thought, at the time, that it was because Pecola was having her father's baby that the marigolds did not grow." (p. 5)

"Certain seeds it will not nurture, certain fruit it will not bear and when the land kills of its own volition, we acquiesce and say the victim had no right to live." (p. 206)

"Her simplicity decorated us, her guilt sanctified us, her pain made us glow with health." (p. 205)

1. It never occurred to either of us that the earth itself might have been unyielding. We had dropped our
seeds in our own little plot of black dirt just as Pecolas father had dropped his seeds in his own plot of black dirt. Our innocence and faith were no more productive than his lust or despair.

We thought, at the time, that it was because Pecola was having her fathers baby that the marigolds did not grow. (p. 5) On one of the first pages in

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, the narrator states this bold point. Immediately minds start churning out questions at a rapid pace. What kind of a book is this? One may ask oneself. Having to immediately deal with such a heavy topic at the start of the book may put off a reader, but this bold sentence makes a reader think strongly about the significance of the marigolds and their seeds. There are many different interpretations of the relevance of these flowers. Although somewhat different, all of them do tie together. The lack of marigolds in the fall of 1941 signified the comparison between Pecola and the seeds, her surroundings and the soil, and her loss of purity due to her father. To begin with, one could compare Pecola to the seeds themselves. The narrator states, It never occurred to either of us that the earth itself might have been unyielding. (Second Prologue) By comparing Pecola to the seeds we can understand that it wasnt Pecolas fault at all that she went mad after the death of her baby. Pecola was brought up in a hostile environment where she was treated like a scapegoat. At a certain point, it is even stated that Pecola is the lowest of all the classes. We were so beautiful when we stood astride her ugliness. Her

simplicity decorated us; her guilt sanctified us, her pain made us glow with health, her awkwardness made us think we had a sense of humor. Her inarticulateness made us believe we were eloquent. Her poverty kept us generous. (p 205). Although Black women in general were at the bottom of the
social pyramid, the fact that Pecola was so ugly and so repulsive to people aided them in dealing with their own insecurities and worries. The fact that Cholly impregnated her and that she was carrying a baby that was the result of one of the biggest sins of all, incest, made people enjoy laughing at her even more. For

seeds to grow in nature, the soil and the weather have to be nurturing. It is not simply about planting the seeds, but about having a supportive environment to grow in. The death of Pecolas baby and the death of the seeds were highlighted for this reason exactly. Pecolas environment was antagonistic. Besides the fact that Pecola was always treated badly, the inevitable fact that a girl should not be impregnated by her own father applies here as well. This goes against the laws of nature and the result of this is not only the death of the baby, but also the insanity of Pecola. In another take on the lack of marigold growth, Pecola could be considered the soil. As her fathers seed was planted within her on that dark day. Seeds generally symbolize hope faith and promise. However in this dark book, the seed of the father was essentially a defective seed, which led to its own metaphoric and eventually literal death within Pecola. "Certain seeds it will not nurture, certain fruit it will not bear and when the land kills of its own volition, we acquiesce and say the victim had no right to live." (p. 206) Evidently this quote refers to the fact that genetically, Chollys seed was not fit to be planted within Pecola as this is genetically and morally incorrect. In the second prologue, the narrator states We had dropped our seeds in our own little plot of black dirt just as Pecolas father had dropped his seeds in his own plot of black dirt. This sentence compares Pecola to a plot of black dirt. Black dirt stands out here because Pecola was, as previously mentioned, treated like dirt. Being the Black ugly scapegoat of the town. However, on a deeper level this is highly ironic due to the fact that black dirt is generally considered the richest of all. Besides being a reference to the fact that at age 12, Pecola is now very fertile, this poses the question of whether with the correct weather and human nurture, Pecola

could have been the source of a healthy crop. If the town had treated her better, or perhaps even supported her through her pregnancy, would Pecola have been able to do something better with her life than go insane? Pecola may have had the potential to do or be something great but due to the crushing attitude provided to her by the town, she dried up, withered, and was incapable of providing a healthy harvest. Essentially, the moist, rich, and fertile black soil was transformed into a barren wasteland of insanity. "Certain seeds it will not nurture, certain fruit it will not bear and when the land kills of its own volition, we acquiesce and say the victim had no right to live." (p. 206) Besides being a reference to Pecola being the soil, it is also a mention of the community that Pecola grew up within. It is fair to say that Pecola was bullied within her society. A conservative community such as that of Pecola would not tolerate somebody different. Pecola was considered the town reject in her city. They did not wish to put up with her, as she was different and ugly. In a way, this is discrimination in itself, which is ironic. One would expect a community of a race that has been constantly threatened and racially discriminated and segregated by a superior race to understand differences and accept them. They didnt allow Pecola to develop or flourish (going back to the seed metaphor) and when her baby died and Pecola went insane, they simply stood by and watched, complaining about how she deserved it. When seeds in nature are planted, it signifies a new generation of progress and linking the past to the future. The same applies to when humans reproduce. In this book, there is a lot of connection between the past and the future in a cause and effect format. Sadly, the negative past of poor Pecola, the

seed and the black dirt, made for a miserable future and a horrific next generation. Even though Claudia and Freida feel like it is their fault that the much emphasized marigolds did not bloom, it is evident that Pecola was a fragile object that the community pressed too hard upon, and eventually shattered.