The Bluest Eye Quiet as it's kept...

Quiet as it's kept, there were no marigolds in the fall of 1941.

Claudia MacTeer retells the story of possibly why the marigolds did not bloom in the year of 1941 in Lorain, Ohio. She says that she thought it was because Pecola Breedlove was having her father's baby and that everyone was so concerned with the safe delivery of the baby. Apparently though, no one's marigolds grew that year. Claudia explains that her and her sister, Frieda, thought it was their fault that the marigolds did not bloom. They thought that if they had just planted the seeds a little bit better, then maybe they would have grown. However, Claudia realizes now, looking back, that it was not her or her sister's fault. It was just the way things were. She goes on to explain that Cholly Breedlove, Pecola's father, is dead, the baby died, the seeds died, and so too, did Claudia's innocence.

Claudia says that the only question left is why. However, that is too difficult to answer, so she settles for answering how.