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Foreshadowing The Flowers

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The horrors of the real world are explored in the short story, The Flowers by Alice Walker. The story opens with a young girl named Myop enjoying a nice summer day and takes a very dark turn when Myop ventures into the nearby forest. In the forest, she discovers a dead man on the ground, who has been lynched. Myop's loss of childhood innocence is shown through cryptic symbolism, intriguing foreshadowing, and the author's drastic use tone.
To begin with, the author uses symbolism in her writing to further convey the theme of Myop's loss of blissful unawareness to the real world. The text states, " "Myop laid down her flowers. And the summer was over." The summer symbolizes the happy child that Myop was and her inability to see the real world. Now, after going through such an unforgettable experience Myop has aged emotionally well-beyond her years. By comparing Myop's obliviousness to the summer the author demonstrates that becoming aware of the real world can be scary, but necessary. …show more content…
For example, the text says, "Today, she made her own path...vaguely keeping an eye out for snakes." The author is showing us that Myop's usual routine is disrupted because she decides to go on an adventure all on her own, something she has never done before. Additionally, the author shows us some of her fears and hints towards something bad happening as she goes further into the forest. These techniques cause the reader to be more aware of the difference between Myop's perspective of the world and what the world is really

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