The Pink Rose Symbol Analysis

The pink rose—which is encircled by a noose—symbolizes the possibility of resilience and even beauty in the face of horror, violence, and bigotry. At the end of the story, Myop looks beyond the man’s skull and corpse and spots a “wild pink rose” nearby. Earlier in the story, she likely would have not hesitated to add it to her armful of wildflowers. Now, she needs to understand what might have happened to the man, so she pauses as she picks it and notices that the pink rose appears to have a “ring” around it. Looking more closely, she sees that what she thought was a ring is actually the remnants of a noose. She peers up at the branches of a nearby oak tree and sees threads of the noose still attached, which confirms her understanding that the man was lynched. Therefore, the “wild pink rose” no longer belongs exclusively to the natural world—its growth has been restrained by the noose, a symbol of human oppression and violence. However, the rose is still growing through the noose, thus representing the beautiful resilience and strength of Black Americans who historically endured unspeakable trauma and violence. Although the rose itself is surrounded by something ugly and oppressive, it continues to flourish, thus embodying an unlikely sense of hope.