In short, this is a story about 'Lizabeth, a 14 year old girl who grows up after her last act of childish behavior. This story is told in first-person point of view with a shifting perspective. The voice of the narrator moves from reflecting as a mature woman to retelling the episode with Miss Lottie's marigolds as a 14 year old girl.
This is also a story about BOUNDARIES. Some boundaries are clearer than others such as a fence around a property or a line on a map. Many boundaries, however, are not so clear. Some examples include the boundaries between: personal and public space, appropriate and offensive behavior, and childhood and adulthood. One may argue that being a teenager is a time when a person lives ON that boundary.
Lizabeth sees Miss Lottie as an old witch as a child, her father for his strength and laughter, and childhood as innocence
As a woman, Lizabeth sees things much differently. She now has compassion which she says cannot exist alongside innocence. You can't escape the feeling of guilt when you feel sorry for someone.
This is also a story about BOUNDARIES. Some boundaries are clearer than others such as a fence around a property or a line on a map. Many boundaries, however, are not so clear. Some examples include the boundaries between: personal and public space, appropriate and offensive behavior, and childhood and adulthood. One may argue that being a teenager is a time when a person lives ON that boundary.
Lizabeth sees Miss Lottie as an old witch as a child, her father for his strength and laughter, and childhood as innocence
As a woman, Lizabeth sees things much differently. She now has compassion which she says cannot exist alongside innocence. You can't escape the feeling of guilt when you feel sorry for someone.
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