The Loss of Innocence due to Racism in "The Flowers"

The short story, "The Flowers," written by Alice Walker, tells the tale of a young black girl who stumbles upon an unexpected tragedy in the woods. Myop was innocent at the beginning, but by the end seemed to have grown much too quickly for her age. This is due to racism and the realization of the unjust society we live in, shown through diction and imagery. It ruins her childhood, as seen in the final sentence, "and the summer was over" (Walker 120). Myop lays down some flowers that she collected along the path on the dead body she finds, representing her letting go of her childhood, as…