The story opens with the following sentence:

Question

When I think of the hometown of my youth, all that I seem to remember is dust—the brown, crumbly dust of late summer—arid, sterile dust that gets into the eyes and makes them water, gets into the throat and between the toes of bare brown feet.

Think about the information this sentence gives us. What are two possible themes for the short story "Marigolds"?

Responses

loneliness
loneliness

hope in poverty
hope in poverty

loss of innocence
loss of innocence
give me a real answer

Answer 1

Based on the information provided in the sentence, two possible themes for the short story "Marigolds" could be:

1. Poverty and despair: The mention of the brown, crumbly dust and bare brown feet suggests a setting of poverty and hardship. This could potentially explore the theme of struggling to survive in a challenging environment.

2. Childhood nostalgia: The reference to the hometown of the narrator's youth and the description of dust bringing back memories suggests a reflection on the past. This could indicate a theme of looking back on childhood and the emotions associated with that time.