Marigolds

by

Eugenia Collier

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Marigolds makes teaching easy.

Lizabeth’s Mother Character Analysis

Lizabeth’s mother has a job and provides for the family, but her job forces her to be absent from the house well into the evening. Like with her father, Lizabeth’s understanding of her mother relies on simple binaries. These are challenged when she overhears a conversation between her parents late one night. She hears her father sobbing loudly, and her mother comforting him as if he were a child. Her mother, who she knew to be small and soft, now appears to be the strength of the family. Poverty has created a complex family dynamic and this event reveals to Lizabeth that reality no longer matches her simple view of the world.

Lizabeth’s Mother Quotes in Marigolds

The Marigolds quotes below are all either spoken by Lizabeth’s Mother or refer to Lizabeth’s Mother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
Marigolds Quotes

“Ain’t no man oughtta eat his woman’s food day in and day out, and see his children running wild. Ain’t nothing right about that.”

Related Characters: Lizabeth’s Father (speaker), Lizabeth, Lizabeth’s Mother
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis:

The world had lost its boundary lines. My mother, who was small and soft, was now the strength of the family; my father, who was the rock on which the family had been built, was sobbing like the tiniest child. Everything was suddenly out of tune, like a broken accordion. Where did I fit into this crazy picture?

Related Characters: Lizabeth (speaker), Lizabeth’s Father, Lizabeth’s Mother
Page Number: 18
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Marigolds LitChart as a printable PDF.
Marigolds PDF

Lizabeth’s Mother Quotes in Marigolds

The Marigolds quotes below are all either spoken by Lizabeth’s Mother or refer to Lizabeth’s Mother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
Marigolds Quotes

“Ain’t no man oughtta eat his woman’s food day in and day out, and see his children running wild. Ain’t nothing right about that.”

Related Characters: Lizabeth’s Father (speaker), Lizabeth, Lizabeth’s Mother
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis:

The world had lost its boundary lines. My mother, who was small and soft, was now the strength of the family; my father, who was the rock on which the family had been built, was sobbing like the tiniest child. Everything was suddenly out of tune, like a broken accordion. Where did I fit into this crazy picture?

Related Characters: Lizabeth (speaker), Lizabeth’s Father, Lizabeth’s Mother
Page Number: 18
Explanation and Analysis: