Oprah Winfrey once said, “Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.” This quote applies to the book Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, which is about how yellow fever greatly impacts a girl's life. Through imagery and figurative language, the author conveys the themes of freedom, ambition, and the impact and value of family. Imagery is used to portray how being ambitious is the key to achieving something. In the story, Mattie’s grandfather describes her after being scolded by her mother and Eliza, her mother’s employee. Mattie says, “Grandfather says I was a Daughter of Liberty, a real American Girl. I could steer my own ship. No one would call me Mattie. They would call me ‘Ma’am’” (Anderson 12). Some of Mattie's word choices, such as, “my own”, “real American …show more content…
The author shows that when one values his/her family, they have different beliefs, and have more support overall. Family values can impact ones life for the better, and the author uses figurative language to portray that. Another example of family values through figurative language is when a doctor comes to Mattie's house to treat her sick mother. Mattie says, “It made no sense. Mother would beat back illness with a broom” (Anderson 71). Using figurative language, like the metaphor shown, this quote signifies that Mattie believes that her mother is strong, and can handle whatever trouble comes her way, and her love for her mom takes over. Mattie’s mom is human, and no human can survive forever. Families signify that one is never alone in facing conflicts. Figurative language is used to help describe the book more in detail to show the value of family. Imagery is used to present the idea that having freedom can help one take risks and express oneself. Towards the beginning of the book, Mattie’s mom gets sick and sends her away. Mattie’s grandfather and her have a conversation. It states, “‘There,’ he sighed. That’s better than
Secondly, Grandfather often helps Mattie. Grandfather stuck with Mattie at Bush Hill and refused to have her stay in an orphanage. Grandfather did also try to save Mattie from the burglars.
Grandfather, named William had been one of the main characters in the book. He had found Mattie when she was sick and took her to Bush
“. . . The finest man I had ever known” (Anderson 149). He was a man who was the captain of Pennsylvania Fifth Regiment and served under George Washington. He always found a way for Mattie to break away from Mother’s thoughts--he pampered her. He also taught her the basics of soldiering, which Matilda used when she and Grandfather were kicked off a wagon due to Grandfather’s coughing--the summer grippe. Both Matilda and her grandfather were stranded in the middle of nowhere and in order to return to their homeland they would have to walk miles and miles. As strong, brave, and courageous her grandfather was; he decided to go out and look for her. He found Matilda laying on the floor because of her faint. Matilda’s grandfather picked her up in the struggling heat and carried her all the way to Bush Hill. Where she fought off the fever and was treated. “Imagine a man his age carrying someone like you all that distance” (Anderson 99). Matilda’s Grandfather was everything to her. Too bad he was killed by thieves robbing valuables. A man like him shouldn’t have died, this put Mattie in a very difficult and heartrending
When they first met at the tire shop, Mattie knew Taylor could not afford new tires for the car, but she chose to invest her time anyways, feeding Taylor and Turtle crackers and apple juice (Kingsolver 41). Mattie knew in her heart that they needed company, if not more help. When Taylor offered to get out of her hair, Mattie replied, “‘Why, honey, don’t feel bad. I wasn’t trying to make a sale. I just thought you two needed some cheering up’” (Kingsolver 44). This is the first place where it’s demonstrated how Mattie has a caring personality. The second place is shown between Mattie and the refugees. At one point, Taylor even calls Mattie’s house “...was a tire store and sanctuary” (Kingsolver 119). Taylor didn’t fully understand this concept until she watched Mattie on the television talking about the refugees that were taken into custody and then found dead in a ditch (Kingsolver 104). Form her tiny little tire shop, Mattie held big memories and back stories in the story above. The last place that proves Mattie’s love for all is when Turtle, Taylor, Estevan and Esperanza leave her shop towards the end of the story. “‘Bless your all’s hearts,’” (Kingsolver 188) says Mattie as they left. She then waved goodbye until they were out of sight, and it’s only imaginable what her heart was
Mattie shows her confrontational attitude multiple times throughout the course of the story, especially in her interactions with Cogburn, Ned, Quincy, Chaney, and Stonehill to get her way. When Cogburn tells Mattie that she will not be going with him on the journey to capture or kill Chaney, she gets quite angry and uses threats and insults to change his mind. When, after tired of her sassy tirade, he threatens to slap her, she responds with, “I would be ashamed of myself living in this filth. If I smelled as bad as you I would not live in a city, I would go live on
However, she uses these portrayals to contrast them to the strong bonds of friendship that she writes about in the middle of the book when Taylor is in a new community. Unlike many uncaring and unsupportive family members written about before, the introduction of the character Mattie immediately reveals her friendly personality. Mattie brings them a few snacks “...just [because they] needed some cheering up” (60), and she has a very maternal attitude towards Taylor and her child. Her compassion and caring toward them help her many times; for example, Mattie allows Taylor to “...leave [her] car there for the time being” (64) and even offered Taylor “...a job at Jesus Is Lord Used Tires” (104). Mattie helps her in her new community, and she therefore quickly becomes a motherly figure in the narrator’s life. Another person Taylor meets here is Lou Ann, when Taylor sees that she has space for rent. After talking for a while, they already agree that they get along very well: “‘Of course you can move in,’ she said. ‘I’d love it. I wasn’t sure you’d want to.’ ‘Why wouldn’t I want to?’” (101). These two characters form a genuine friendship. Even when Taylor, being independent, argues that “‘[she] doesn’t want’” them to act like a family, the two quickly make up. They appreciate each other, and Lou Ann quickly becomes like a second family to Taylor. While many families depicted previously
This seems to be the point in her life where she takes a complete role reversal. She is no longer the careless teenager like we read about in the beginning, but a compassionate and strong-willed person. “Caregiver Mattie” - she finally learned to care about people in a big way. This is shown through her actions of learning to share and put others before her self. She has now appointed herself as the unofficial guardian of the orphan nell, and also begins working with Eliza and the Free African Society to nurse the citizens of Philadelphia back to health.
Mattie Ross shows she has passion when Laboeuf and Rooster tell Mattie she cannot go with them on the man hurt for Tom Chaney. Mattie ignores their wishes and crosses the River anyways. Mattie says, “I aimed for the place, going blazes across the sandbar…we came out a little way down the river…we had beaten them across” (Charles Portis 105). Even though she was told by Laboeuf and Rooster she could not go she still risks hers and Blackie life crossing the Icey river. This shows Mattie is passionate about going on the manhunt. Later on in the book during the long horse ride Mattie got sore and hungry but did not want to tell Laboeuf or Rooster because she did not want them to think less of her. Mattie says, “I was hungry and aching but I kept my peace for I was determined not to give them anything to chaf me about” (Portis 108). At the end of the book Mattie falls into a hole with bats and a skeleton filled with snakes from the power from the recoil of her gun. Mattie says, “I set my teeth… I studied the arm… with some twisting I managed to separate it… and secured it under my armpit to serve as a cross member” (Portis 209). This shows Mattie has courage because with all the odds against her she puts aside her emotions just to survive. As you can see Mattie has
While observers may assert that Mattie did not express her emotions because she did not want to risk being thrown out of the Frome household, penniless and without anywhere else to go. Mattie expresses this concern on page thirty-one after Ethan asks her if she wants to leave declaring “Where’d I go, if I did [leave the Frome household]?”. However, Mattie is not afraid to be flirtatious with Ethan and alluded to her feelings for him, which could have just as easily caused her removal from the Frome house. For example, in chapter four, Mattie runs a red ribbon through her hair that causes Ethan to see her as “taller, fuller, more womanly in shape and motion.” (Wharton 47). Also in chapter four, Mattie uses Zeena’s favorite red pickle dish during
Mattie is a fourteen-year-old girl, who has the responsibilities of an adult, which was expected of people that age in this time period. “[Mattie] kept his books for him”(keeping the books means keeping track of the money) said Mattie when she was explaining why she knew how much money her father had (Portis 15). This quote is interesting because it exhibits the amount of responsibility that was put upon her even at a young age. Also, Mattie seems to have the best math skills in her family, despite having a mother and father much older than her. Mattie told Yarnell, (who is an African American that works for Mattie's family) “Yarnell said ‘you can't stay in the city by yourself’ [Mattie] said ‘It will be alright’” (Portis 26). Mattie is going to stay in the city by herself without her mom knowing when she will return, or what her sleeping arrangements are. It is strange because she is a young girl in a city alone with nobody to protect her, and her mother has no idea what is going on. Mattie told the sheriff “[I’am] looking for the man who shot and killed my father” (Poti 59). Mattie is not asking the sheriff to find the man and bring him to justice, but rather, she is asking the sheriff for information to help her find the man. This is demented because she is basically taking over what should be an ongoing police operation. “[The keeper] would put me up somehow” is what Mattie said to a horse salesman when he asked where was she staying the night (Portis 27). Mattie is being allowed to rent a room in this one which shows that even at a young age, people expected for her to be responsible. “Fourteen was the marrying age back then” is another example of large amounts of responsibilities falling to young boys and girls of that time period (Mcmurty 3). Mattie is a young girl who has the responsibilities of an adult even as a fourteen-year-old.
Mattie; however, is not considered able to live and support herself and is considered a burden her family members. Because of this she is moved around
Mattie was a character in Fever,1793. She was faced with a lot and showed a lot of ways that she Never gave up even when times were looking down.
The most reasonable idea that allows Mattie to be the protagonist is that she cared for a little girl named Nell even though she was struggling to care for herself. I predict that having Nell in the hands of Mattie, Grandfather dying, and Mother being gone made sense come to Mattie assuring her that caring for others as well as yourself alone is a huge responsibility. This quote shows Mattie’s thought after Grandfather’s death, “No, I could care for myself. I was not a child.” The two character traits that explains how Mattie matured is independent and a hero. She is independent because she was on her own for awhile and had to find food for herself and care for herself. This piece of evidence shows how she was alone with no one to feed or care for her, “I was alone; Grandfather was dead and Mother missing.” She had no one to count on but herself. Mattie being a hero shows a lot of her maturing. This is because she didn’t care for lots of things such as doing chores, but when things changed she realized that other people were in the need of her help like
Through his death, Mattie is pushed into a new kind of independence and begins walking the streets looking for a miracle. ““How many dead, Sir?” “More than three thousand, enough to fill house after house, street after street.” “I went to the market, but found no food,” I said. “Few farmers dare come into town.
The parents are responsible for the kids and the kids are told to look at for their siblings. Every family functions different and looks different but in the end they all share a sense of responsibility for each family member. Family and responsibility is something everyone can relate to. Family is a basic need that is programmed inside of us and we all understand the significance of it. Using characters in a family immediately connects with the reader and helps them understand the relationship between the characters.