Being in a pandemic is scary. It’s not something you’d ever wish on your worst enemy. You never know where your next meal will come from, or what you’d have to do to get it, or if it’ll ever come at all. There are robbers everywhere, taking advantage of this awful situation and being selfish. You can’t trust anyone anymore, let alone make new friends. Families are turning their backs on one another. They will even throw their own flesh and blood out of a two story window if it means saving themselves.
In Fever 1793, by Laurie Halse Anderson, Mattie Cook lives above her family’s coffeehouse with her widowed mother and randfather, and also her cat Silas. She dreads doing chores and is constantly making plans to expand her family business, but then, the feverish monster breaks out. Anderson empathises that even through hardships and devastation, faith and family is all you need. In the beginning of the story, Mattie was introduced as a idle child and was “sleeping the day away” (1). Mattie always compared herself to her mother. She thought “mother had been a perfect girl” (2).
It was an ordinary day until Polly, one of their servants in the coffeehouse had not shown up that morning for ork, so Mattie would have to do Polly’s chores, as well as her own. Mattie had asked her mother to let her go look for Polly and grandfather, but her mother insisted she stay home and see the garden, so Mother went off to go look for Polly. Not too long after Mattie was brought the news. The news that may have changed Mattie’s life forever. “Matilda, Polly’s dead” (13). Mattie was shocked by this news. She couldn’t believe it was real. Instead of grieving in deep sorrow, Mattie thinks about the good ‘ole times.
We sang nonsense songs together when we churned butter. I could see it then, my small hands and Polly’s together on the handle of the churn. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes (14). ” Mattie begged and begged mother to let her attend Polly’s funeral, but she was just not having it. Mother fears of Mattie catching the fever. “No. Absolutely not. I forbid it, you’ll have nightmares. ” “She was my friend! You must allow me. Why are you so horrid? ” (16). Mattie knew that she had gone too far and she had to obey her, so she apologized. This illustrates that Mattie needed her family through the death of Polly, especially her mother.
Mattie had faith that she would not get sick with the fever by attending to Polly’s funeral, but her mother limits the things she can do because she cares about her and doesn’t want her to end up like Polly. As the number of deaths for this mysterious fever grows, more theories are yet to come. No one seemed quite sure what is killing them or what had killed others. After having tea with the Ogilvie’s, Mattie’s mother faints. Mattie knew something was wrong. Her mother was sleeping in the middle of the day, which isn’t like her, especially the fact that she thinks “too much sleep is bad for your health” (6).
Everyone was in denial that mother had Yellow Fever. Even Mr. Rowley, the physician that Grandfather had found had said mother did not have Yellow fever. However, mother was “violently ill, vomiting blood all over the bed and floor” (68). “Everything will be fine,” said Mattie as she sponged her mother clean from the bloody vomit (69). “Go… away… Leave me, ” mother said to Mattie. “Oh stop, please stop,” Mattie responded back. “Leave me! Leave me, go! “(69) Mother shouted. Every time Mattie had insisted on helping her mother and cleaning her up, Mother just yelled and yelled for Mattie to get out.
To go away. To leave her. This shows that now the roles are switched. Mother now needs her family, especially Polly more than anything, but she is pushing her away because she cares for Polly and doesn’t want her to get sick. By the middle of the story, this fever that has now been pronounced Yellow Fever attacks Mattie’s Grandfather. After mother had been diagnosed with Yellow Fever by Dr. Kerr, he advises grandfather to send Mattie “out of the city at once” (73). “The farmer yelled, “Giyup! ” and cracked the whip across the back of the horse” (77). So off Grandfather and Mattie went to he countryside.
They were stopped by “four horsemen armed with muskets”(80). “Don’t be afraid, we mean you no harm… You’re entering Pembroke. Planning on staying here? ” The farmer that was driving the wagon explained to the four horsemen that they we were just passing through” (81). “I have to ask you to step down so our doctor here can have a look at you. If you aren’t sick, you can pass through town. If you are, you’ll have turnaround” (81). Mattie wakes up Grandfather so the doctor can have a look at him. When the doctor came to examine grandfather the doctor had said, “take this man back o the city.
He is infected with disease” (83). Mattie and Grandfather begin their journey by walking back home to the coffeehouse. Grandfather worsened and they had to camp outside because he was too weak to walk. Mattie went out to use what grandfather taught her to find food to eat. While looking for supper, Mattie hallucinates and passes out. She wakes up at Bush Hill hospital and learns that she has Yellow Fever, a few days later she overcomes the fever and is healthy. Mattie leaves Bush Hill and returns to the city. The city has become worse than what it was when they left.
They enter the coffeehouse and find many things stolen out of the kitchen, including all of their condiments. By nightfall, thieves break into the coffeehouse and Mattie tries to fight them off, but Grandfather dies. Mattie and Grandfather both need each other, in order to get through this fever and survive, but Grandfather dies and mother is missing, so Mattie is now on her own. By the end of the story, Mattie finds a little girl named Nell and also finds Eliza. Eliza tells Mattie that her mother went off to the county to the Ludington’s farm to meet her and grandfather.
Mattie ends up having dinner with Eliza and her her family. Mother Smith talks Mattie into take Nell to the orphanage she doesn’t Mattie to get attached “fall in love with that baby girl” (180). Mattie ends up taking Nell to the orphanage, but they didn’t have a room for another child, so Mattie would have to keep her, which made Mattie happy. Mattie helps Eliza by giving those in need for food, some food through the Free African Society, and when they arrived back to the house, they find Joseph, Eliza’s brother in tears because his twins caught the fever, and so did Nell.
Mattie and Eliza end up going back to to the coffeehouse to care for the children. Mattie ends up falling asleep outside by the well, and she wakes up to frost. You know what that means! The fever is finally gone! Mattie takes charge of the coffeehouse and offers Eliza partnership. George Washington returns to the city and and mother returns as wellI. The coffeehouse fell silent as they see mother walk in. In conclusion, Yellow Fever 1793 provides a powerful picture and empathizes that even through hardships and devastation, faith and family is all you need.
In this story, Mattie goes from eeding her mother the most, to basically being the mother of others to care for. Mattie gets caught up in her own world like a normal teenager does. Mother returns at last, and she’s not the same anymore. She’s very still and quiet, and that’s not like her. Instead of Mattie being the one that sleeps the day away, it’s mother that is and Mattie knew what was coming. It was time for her to become the responsible adult for her family. The coffeehouse. And especially her mother. Throughout the story. The author shows us that being negative, will only make a difficult journey more difficult.
