Dancing With the Daffodils

Lucy's hatred of the daffodils is ironic because of her relationship with her mother. Daffodils are known as a flower of cheer and happiness and are often given on mothers day or when a woman becomes a mother. The irony of choosing a cheerful flower to commemorate a mother figure is not lost on readers in this story. Because Lucy resents her mother so much her hatred of the flower makes perfect sense.
Daffodils also stand for new beginnings which may or may not be a situational coincidence in the story when Mariah shows Lucy her garden. Lucy is in an entirely new place, of which she had great expectations. The shock of the Upper New York class must have been a shock for a young girl coming from a tropical island filled with fresh ingredients, vibrant colors, and unimaginable poverty. Instead of having the expected reaction and loving the change, she resents the actual move in the first place. This could also explain her hatred of the simple flower.
The color and simplicity of the daffodil may have also been contributors to her aggrivation. The island she came from was most probably filled with every type of rich color, including yellow, the yellow may have triggered a memory of why she wanted to escape her previous life. On the other hand, the simplicity of the flower may relate to her expectations of what awaited her in America. Most immigrants have these fabulous, dream-like ideas about what America will be like when they get here and it could be inferred that she was expecting more out of her life once she arrived.

Here is a small poem by William Wordsworth that may help you understand Lucy's perspective on the daffodils a bit more...enjoy!

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-wandered-lonely-as-a-cloud/