In the story “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier I think that Lizabeth’s dad has a lot of indirect characterization compared to the other characters. Some of his characteristics I found are wanting to feel useful, caring for his family, and he was at that time, feeling frustrated. When Lizabeth wakes up in the middle of the night and hears her father say “Twenty-two years, Maybelle, twenty-two and I got nothing for you, nothing, nothing” it shows, not only that he cares about his wife and kids, but also that he is frustrated that he can't find a job that will hire him. Which to me that is the reason why he breaks down later on in the story. Some ways that show that he wants to feel useful are that in the story he says “It ain’t right. Ain’t no man ought to eat his woman’s food year in and year out, and see his children running wild. Ain’t nothing right about that”. To me he is saying that he does not like that his wife is the only one supporting the family financially while he is at home doing nothing. And when he says “Damn Mr. Elis’s coat! And damn his money! You think I want white folks’ leavings? Damn. Maybelle”. It sounds like he is mad at Mabelle but, I don’t think he is mad at his wife or at Mr. Ellis. I personally think he is angry at himself because he can’t get things for his family let alone himself.
I agree 100% with what you're saying. He truly does love his family and he tries so hard to, not only show it, but also prove it by getting a job and helping his family financially. The father isn't talked about too much in the story but i can see your exact point by re-reading those quotes. He does seem like he really cares and it hurts him. He gets upset because he can't help and that would upset anyone. He probably feels useless and that gives him a reason to be upset. I feel like you touched on a great topic with this post.
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