The purple flowers are considered "bad" or detrimental in Sweet Tooth because they are the direct source of the H5G9 virus, also known as "The Sick," and they are responsible for the emergence of human-animal hybrids. Their widespread appearance coincided with the global pandemic and the birth of hybrid children.
The Role of Purple Flowers in the Apocalypse
These seemingly innocuous plants are a critical plot point throughout the series, signifying the cause and continuation of the world's devastation.
- Emission of Deadly Microbes: The purple flowers emit specific microbes into the environment. These microbes are highly pathogenic and are the vector for the disease that ravages humanity.
- Cause of "The Sick": Exposure to the microbes from the purple flowers leads to "The Sick," a devastating illness that primarily affects humans and is responsible for widespread death across America. This pandemic decimated the adult population and fundamentally reshaped society.
- Origin of Human-Hybrids: Beyond causing illness, the microbes also profoundly affect human childbirth. They are the catalyst for genetic mutations, resulting in the birth of human-animal hybrids, such as Gus (a deer-boy). These hybrids are immune to "The Sick" but represent a new and often feared form of life.
The appearance of these flowers in various locations where "The Sick" was prevalent underscores their connection to the global catastrophe. They are not merely a symptom of the world's changed state, but the very root cause of both the deadly pandemic and the miraculous, yet challenging, birth of a new species.
