If you enjoy Colleen Helme, Erin Huss, JB Lynn, Jana DeLeon, Angie Fox, Elizabeth Hunter, or Amanda M. Lee, 'Throw the Bouquet' will keep you turning pages to the end! The girl was far from the whitest of Miss Myrover's pupils; in fact, she was one of the darker ones. Perhaps, she thought, they might even put them in her hand or on her breast. Write about a high school graduation that gets a major surprise. "I always feared something would happen to Mary," she said. What the “Blue Bouquet” was, and why a secondary character would want to create one with the unwilling participation of the principal protagonist are both triumphs of the macabre imagination. Mrs. Myrover was an invalid, and opposition or irritation of any kind brought on nervous paroxysms that made her miserable, and made life a burden to the rest of the household, so that Mary seldom crossed her whims. But when school was over, Prince went away with her, and Sophy stayed behind; for Miss Myrover was white and Sophy was black, which they both understood perfectly well. In the short story “The Blue Bouquet” written by Octavio Paz, the main character starts off by waking up from a nap and going on a walk even after being warned not to by the owner of the boardinghouse. ", "Thank you, Sophy," was the reply. The children soon learned of this taste of hers, and kept the vases on her desk filled with blossoms during their season. by Octavio Paz (1949), translated by Eliot Weinberger. And when they bury me, I 'm sure I shall rest better if my grave is banked with flowers, and roses are planted at my head and at my feet.". Another way of interpreting the story is that the blue bouquet is a part of the quote “The night was a garden of eyes. Miss Myrover began her work as a teacher in the autumn, at the opening of the school year. If Miss Myrover dropped a book, Sophy was the first to spring and pick it up; if she wished a chair moved, Sophy seemed to anticipate her wish; and so of all the numberless little services that can be rendered in a schoolroom. Read the next short story; The Passing of Grandison. He spoke of Miss Myrover's kindly spirit, and, as an illustration of her love and self-sacrifice for others, referred to her labors as a teacher of the poor ignorant negroes who had been placed in their midst by an all-wise Providence, and whom it was their duty to guide and direct in the station in which God had put them. She said, in the child's hearing, and perhaps with the intention that she should hear: "Mary, I wish you would n't let those little darkeys follow you to the house. Return to the Charles W. Chesnutt Home Page, or . 'Throw the Bouquet' is the 1st installment in the April May Snow Psychic Mystery Shorts. How to be charismatic – backed by science; Sept. 22, 2020. The white-robed rector read the solemn service for the dead, and then delivered a brief address, in which he dwelt upon the uncertainty of life, and, to the believer, the certain blessedness of eternity. "It 's a long step from owning such people to teaching them. Even teaching was a doubtful experiment; it was not what she would have preferred, but it was the best that could be done. They were therefore surprised, when they went to the side entrance, by which colored people gained access to the gallery stairs, to be met by an usher who barred their passage. The Blue Bouquet. Besides, it 's only a business arrangement, and does n't involve any closer contact than we have with our servants. A champion of America's great writers and timeless works, Library of America guides readers in finding and exploring the exceptional writing that best reflects the nation's history and culture. I jumped from my hammock and crossed the room barefoot, careful not to step on some scorpion leaving his hideout for a bit of fresh air. Just the ground for the teacher's liking for Sophy might not at first be apparent. If you wish to wait until the white people have all gone in, and there 's any room left, you may be able to get into the back part of the gallery. Just how the color of the pupils had produced the fatal effects she did not stop to explain. The children made rapid progress under her tuition, and learned to love her well; for they saw and appreciated, as well as children could, her fidelity to a trust that she might have slighted, as some others did, without much fear of criticism. And because of this, the most powerful short stories have what James Scott Bell describes as the “one shattering moment.” "I 'll be glad if you will.". With a knife who wanted something very unusual a number of Miss Myrover 's friends were somewhat surprised she! 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