The devastation of the Great Depression was experienced by many during the 1930s. This event was a very difficult time for many families , particularly for African-American families in rural Maryland. Many stories have been written about struggling families during the Great Depression. Children are often expected to mature very quickly. In Eugenia Collier's "Marigolds," Lizabeth, a young African-American teenager, grows from an immature and insensitive child to a compassionate woman at a time when many were suffering hardship. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In “Marigolds,” Lizabeth’s childhood innocence begins as an unconscious period of her life. The story begins with the main character remembering his childhood in a poverty-stricken slum. Bored on a hot summer day, Lizabeth's younger brother, Joey, suggests some childish entertainment to pass the time. “I tell you what,” Joey finally said, his eyes sparkling. “Let’s go to Miss Lottie’s.” "The idea caught on right away, because annoying Miss Lottie was always fun." When they arrived at Miss Lottie's old ruined house, they hatched their plan of attack. Mrs. Lottie's brightly colored marigolds that stood out in her barren garden. They all threw stones at the marigolds while Miss Lottie took care of them. All the children hated these colorful flowers. “They hindered the perfect ugliness of the place; they were too beautiful; They said too much that we couldn’t understand…”. Miss Lottie became angry with the children as they laughed wildly. Right afterward, Lizabeth feels guilty for throwing the rocks at the flowers, but she doesn't really understand why she felt these feelings. Lizabeth begins to experience the realization of her feelings, turning her around to becoming a compassionate woman. In the middle of the night, Lizabeth wakes up to her father and mother arguing about providing for the family and to her father's sobbing: "He sobbed loudly and painfully and cried, helpless and desperate, into the dark night . I had never heard a man cry before. I didn't know the men were crying. I covered my ears with my hands but could not silence the sound of my father's harsh, painful, desperate sobs. Hearing her father cry shattered Lizabeth's world. She had never heard a man cry before. Then, before she knew where she was going, she jumped out the window and started walking. She realized she was heading towards Miss Lottie's house. She jumped into Miss Lottie's flower bed and squashed all the worries. “I jumped furiously into the marigold mounds and pulled madly, stomping, pulling and destroying the perfect yellow flowers.” They were all destroyed by the time Miss Lottie came out to see what was happening. She looked at Lizabeth, and that's when Lizabeth's childhood faded away. She realized that Miss Lottie was not a witch, but "a broken old woman who had dared to create beauty in the midst of ugliness and sterility." The innocence of Lizabeth's childhood has faded. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier, Lizabeth, a young African-American teenager, transforms from an immature, insensitive child, to a compassionate woman at a time when many were suffering hardship. Lizabeth, like..