In the historical fiction novel Fever 1793, the story takes place in Philadelphia in the 1790’s. A Yellow fever epidemic turns the city upside down and forces Matilda to become an independent girl. The author Laurie Halse Anderson makes smart author's craft decisions that emphasize the theme independence and maturity. Foreshadowing and visualization are just two examples the author demonstrated to support the theme. From the beginning to the end of this story, we can see the change in Matilda, the main character. By using foreshadowing and visualization, Laurie Halse Anderson was able to craft a storyline that shows the change in the main character and impacts its readers. As the story begins, Matilda was served meals by her scullery …show more content…
The author foreshadowed the reader by including knowledge that the reader would used later in the story, like Grandfather's war tactics and Mattie’s attitude towards her Mother. On page 79 Grandfather is reviewing with Matilda the three things a soldier needs to fight. Matilda replies with a tired tone that shows she already studied the topic numerous times. Anderson writes, “one, a sturdy pair of boots. Two, a full belly, and three, a good night's rest.” From this quote the reader can take that Matilda is gathering knowledge from her family to better herself in the future. On page 85, Anderson states from Matilda's viewpoint, “Old soldiers trick. Find a willow tree and you’ll discover water nearby.” This quote shows that Matilda can not only take in knowledge but use the helpful tricks she learned from family to help in tough situations. Throughout Fever 1793, Matilda becomes independent and mature when she uses knowledge from Mother, Grandfather, and Eliza to survive. Overall, the theme independence and maturity best fits this book, as we can see the change in Matilda. Foreshadowing and visualization are just two examples that the author Laurie Halse Anderson used strategic author's craft tactics to highlight the theme of this