Love, Ruby Lavender

Flowers appear throughout the text, serving as a motif that highlights The Persistent Progression of Time. Black-eyed Susans were Garnet’s favorite, and because he planted a perennial variety, they come back every year in the Dapplevines’ yard. The fact that these flowers consistently return is like Mattie’s claims about there always being another day. Time passes, and the sun and rain bring the black-eyed Susans back, indicating life’s continuation regardless of any tragedies that occur. In addition, black-eyed Susans are a symbol of encouragement and adaptability, alluding to the resilience it takes to manage painful losses and the necessary strength to go on despite one’s grief and sadness. Its color combination of a dark center with bright petals, moreover, serves as a visual representation of both the sour and sweet that comprise life.

When Eula receives floral leis in Hawaii, she remarks on how colorful the flowers are. This trip represents how she wants to have new experiences and make new memories so that she can remember that her life consists of more than her grief. To further emphasize this motif, Johnson and Annette name their baby Leilani which means “Flower of Heaven, in Hawaiian” (59). Like the black-eyed Susans, which emerge every year, a baby provides new possibilities for love and reminds people of their capacity for childlike qualities like innocence, wonder, and joy.