What do Ruby's Dandelions represent?

Ruby's dandelions are a symbol of her ingenuity and initiative, as well as a representation of the responsibility that she feels to help her mother provide for her and her brother in the wake of the loss of their father. Ruby picks and bundles dandelions, then she sells them in an attempt to provide for her family. They are also a representation of economic times. As a child, she should be playing. Instead, she is peddling bouquets of drooping dandelions because her family cannot afford the basic necessities of life.