I was struck by the extended metaphor found in the first pages of the novel. The speaker comments that no marigolds grew in the fall of 1941. This theme of a lack of blooming is extended to people and their accomplishments. The speaker compares the marigold seeds to the potential that she and her sister had. However, they eventually "...admitted to ourselves that no green was going to spring from our seeds." The speaker goes on to discuss how at the time, she did not realize that this might not have been her fault; perhaps she was not given the tools she needed to be successful and "...the earth itself might have been unyielding." I was drawn to this image of growth and blossoming and will be interested to see if the theme is carried throughout the novel.