Alice Walker's "The Flowers" and Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl"

For this class, we were assigned to read to short stories. Both stories are about young girls. The first of the two, "The Flowers" by Alice Walker. The short story is about a ten-year-old girl named Myop, the daughter of sharecroppers. The most obvious literary aid in this short story is the use of tone. At the beginning of the short story, the author uses phrases like "as she skipped lightly," "the days had never been as beautiful as these, "caused the excited little tremors to run up her jaws," and "bouncing this way and that way." I think this tone reflects the joy and innocence of her childhood, and the carefree mindset that a child has during the Summer. The tone takes a drastic change during the fifth paragraph, as Myop is far away from her home and notices the strangeness of her surroundings. The author then uses phrases like "the air was damp, the silence close and deep," "she stepped smack into his eyes," and "she gave a little yelp of surprise." The tone changes as she stumbles upon a man, who is raggedy looking. The most dramatic part of the short story is the last two sentences, "Myop laid down her flowers." and "And then the summer was over." In the first of the two sentences, I think that the "flowers" serve as a symbol of Myop's innocence. As she "laid down her flowers" for the strange man, I think that she lost her innocence through a sexual encounter. The last sentence has a very strong tone, and I think that the "summer" is a symbol of her childhood. At this point, Myop has now realized the significance of her losing her innocent childhood, and must now face the consequences.

The second short story is actually one long sentence, consisting of 684 words. This short story is the harsh words of a mother giving advice to her daughter, with the daughter periodically interjecting to defend herself. I think that the title of the short story, "Girl," speaks for the harshness of the mother, as she does not address her daughter by her name, but rather a generic pronoun. She imparts into her daughter advice on how to keep a house, and do daily tasks such as ironing, sewing, and laundry, as well as the more masculine task of catching a fish. The mother then gives the daughter advice on how to hem a dress to "prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming." 

In both of these stories, the tone plays a very important role and makes the overall effect of both stories more appealing.