A Literary Analysis Of Fever 1793 By Laurie Halse Anderson

Literary Analysis of Fever 1793 The novel Fever 1793 is a work of historical fiction. Written by Laurie Halse Anderson, the book is a remarkable use of historical context that dramatizes its basic themes and concerns throughout it. The intended audience for the book is people between the ages of 12 and 21 (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008). Fever 1793 includes many realistic scenarios and life threatening circumstances. These help build up to the theme which is the development of courage and the understanding of sacrifice (Shmoop Editorial Team, “Paris in Fever 1793,” 2008). The piece begins in the summer of 1793. Matilda Cook, also known as Mattie, is a fourteen year old girl who lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She resides above her family’s

She is a young girl who spends her time daydreaming and playing in her garden. As the book goes on, Mattie has to learn what it means to be an adult. She progresses from an adolescent to a young woman who faces hardships, and learns how to handle crisis situations. She was forced to grow up very quickly. Mattie goes through three development stages. The first was before the fever started. She was a self-absorbed child who had no cares. The second stage was when the fever struck. Mattie becomes a victim and is inflicted with pain. The third stage was after the fever becomes scarce. She had been through a lot and became an adult. As a survivor she faced reality and learned what was important to her. Captain William Farnsworth Cook is Mattie’s grandfather. He was a soldier of the Pennsylvania Fifth Regiment, and served under George Washington. He is known around the city as a crazy man who has a pet parrot. Mattie’s and his relationship grow stronger and stronger as the story continues. He is a crucial mentor to her and they become very close. Grandfather was responsible for teaching Mattie the fundamentals of life. Lucille Cook is Mattie’s mother. She is a single parent and Mattie’s main authority figure. She is a hard worker and runs and owns their family’s coffeehouse. But Lucille soon becomes ill and leaves Mattie to figure out things on her own. Eliza is a free black woman who works at the family’s

One example is grass. Mattie talks about grass dying in the city when the fever breaks out, but then growing back after people start to get healthy. Grass growing over the mass graves indicates the returning of life to Philadelphia. Another example is grandfather’s sword. It is a reminder of his past military triumphs, and it showed Mattie’s strength when she was willing to use it in her grandfather’s defense. Flowers are another example. Her love interest Nathaniel gave her flowers which represents hope; hope that the fever will vanish and hope that their lives will go back to the way they were. Mattie also talks about the city of Paris. She had always wanted to go there and see the beautiful town. Paris represented Mattie’s dreams and how she wanted to be an entrepreneur by selling little trinkets in the city. Symbolism is shown throughout all the chapters of this book (“What Symbols are Present in the Book Fever