Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Fever 1793, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Freedom and Independence
Mothers, Daughters, and Familial Love
Disaster and Human Nature
Ingenuity, Ambition, and Survival
Summary
Analysis
It takes an hour for the tired horse to draw them along the rutted roads and reach the outskirts of Philadelphia. Grandfather has a coughing fit, and when the farmer warns that he’ll have no fever victims in his wagon, Mattie snaps at him to mind his horse. Grandfather remarks that Mattie sounds like her mother, “ordering menfolk around.” Mattie retorts that “some menfolk need ordering,” and Grandfather agrees.
Mattie shows her fiercely protective, independent streak when she snaps at the nervous farmer. Grandfather finds Mattie’s attitude endearing and observes her likeness to Lucille—a similarity that Mattie would have heartily rejected at the beginning of the story, but she’s softening to it now.
Themes
Grandfather tells Mattie that they should enjoy their trip to the country, and that this is a good time to review her “soldiering lessons.” Mattie groans but complies. Since she was a baby, Grandfather has “taught me all the tricks of the American and the British armies, and quite a few from the French.” He asks Mattie to name the three things necessary for a soldier to fight. Mattie lists “a sturdy pair of boots,” “a full belly,” and “a decent night’s sleep.” Soon after, both she and Grandfather are lulled asleep.
Grandfather tries to further distract and comfort Mattie by reviving a childhood game—soldiering lessons. It’s likely more than a game, however, since Grandfather is also reminding Mattie of the survival tricks he’s instilled in her since she was a small girl, suspecting she might have need of those skills before long.
Themes
Mattie wakes to find that the wagon has stopped. Four armed horsemen are blocking their path. They inquire about the group’s destination. The farmer explains that they’re dropping Mattie and Grandfather off in Gwynedd before going on to Bethlehem. The man tells them that a doctor will need to take a look at them all; if they’re not sick, they can pass through the nearby town of Pembroke.
Some outlying towns wouldn’t allow fever victims, or those fleeing the fever, to settle in or even pass through their limits, fearful of the epidemic’s spread. This measure, an understandable caution, nevertheless created further obstacles for the vulnerable and afflicted.
Themes
Mattie struggles to awaken Grandfather, and when he finally rouses, he’s taken with a coughing fit. The doctor says he’s infected with disease and must be taken back to the city. Grandfather protests, but can’t control his coughing. The farmer grabs Mattie and throws her onto the road. He and the doctor place Grandfather beside her. The farmer claims that they’ve only picked up the two of them within the last hour. Mattie yells that he’s lying. But the doctor consents, and the horsemen allow the farmer and his family to drive through town.
Cruelly, the farmer doesn’t just decline to drive Mattie and her grandfather any further, but also forcibly ejects them both from his wagon. He also lies about them, claiming that his fever exposure has been minimal and that they haven’t journeyed a long way together. This exemplifies the selfishness that people sometimes resort to when in crisis; the desire to protect one’s own banishes all else.
Themes
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Mattie and her grandfather are left on the roadside without their food and clothing. The doctor urges them to walk back to Philadelphia for treatment. One of the horsemen explains that they must take care of their own. Mattie has never seen Grandfather look so angry as he replies, “And I shall look after mine.”
Mattie and Grandfather are in a helpless, vulnerable position. They’ll have to walk at least 10 miles to find sympathy and help. Contrary to Grandfather’s determined words, it’s Mattie who will be burdened with much of the “looking after.”
Themes
