Changes In Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine

The Ever-Changing Summer Summer. One of the greatest times of the year. There’s no school, no homework, no bedtime, warm weather, friends, and fun for the boys of Green Town. In the novel, Dandelion Wine written by Ray Bradbury, is about this season. In the book, the reader follows the story of Douglas Spaulding a young boy from a small neighborhood located in Green Town, Illinois. Douglas determines to make the summer of 1928 the best one yet, but things don’t go as planned. Through feelings of joy, loss, and acceptance Douglas grows to learn that life goes on, with or without him. It can be said that Douglas is a young spirited child looking for adventure. He’s a twelve-year-old boy, hoping to spend his summer away from school with excitement

To him summer was a time for fun, and there wasn't a reason it shouldn’t be. But, through hard times and growth, Douglas had discovered a new meaning. Life is a cycle that never stops repeating. Douglas states: “‘Next year’s going to be even bigger, days will be brighter, nights longer and darker, more people dying, more babies born, and me in the middle of it all’”(Bradbury 235). To Douglas there is still a bright side of things, there’s fun, but with it comes loss and worry. The good things balance the bad things so everything is where it should be. That is just one lesson that he has learned. Then the author states: “June dawns, July noons, August evenings over, finished, done, and gone forever with only the sense of it all left here in his head”(Bradbury 239). Here, Douglas learns time is something that cannot be stopped, that is why he keeps his memories. As the saying goes “the past is in the past” or something along those lines, life's a blur. Life’s an adventure that goes by in a flash and it’s over before it even begins. Many positive things came from Douglas’ summer of 1928, and it would have never happened if it wasn’t for some distress somewhere in the middle of it all. The biggest thing of all to conclude from this crazy summer, in the least, is people wouldn’t be who they are without the harsh reality of the world. Douglas was molded by his past and given himself in the present. Altogether, in essence, Dandelion Wine, gave a lesson to Douglas that was crucial for his growth as a person. Whether it’s through loss or happiness accepting it is the first step. When things aren’t planned and it almost feels like being lost, learning to trust and hold these lessons close is what changes the outlook of a situation. Even in the times that were filled with joy, like his summer, it is also filled with hardship. Things may seem hard in the beginning but, it’s never as unpleasant as it