From a thematically and central idea-based point of view, “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier and “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst share similar themes upon the topic of pride and guilt. This is because, in “Marigolds”, the narrator tore “furiously” to shreds Miss Lottie’s marigold garden; and, to compare, in “The Scarlet Ibis”, the narrator taught his baby brother how to walk only because he was “ashamed of having a crippled brother”, eventually leaving his brother behind in the rain to die. Both, in the end, have a life-changing and significant outcome. In “Marigolds”, the narrator is haunted, in a sense, of her past actions and holds deep guilt and “wild contrition” on the topic of her actions, whereas the other story being covered within this