Before meeting Mrs. Flowers, Marguerite refused to speak and refused any help. Why is Mrs. Flowers able to help her when others could not?

Mrs. Flowers is a role model to Maya showing that she too could become a cultured black woman. Mrs. Flowers invited Maya to her house to have a talk. She explained that although Maya's school work was fantastic, she needed to talk; Mrs. Flowers stressed that spoken language is essential to life. Mrs. Flowers sent Maya home with books, expecting her to read them aloud. Maya finally regained the will to speak, and felt very special at being noticed and taught by Mrs. Flowers.