Wonders: A Tale of Survival

¶ … Wonders: A Tale of Survival

A Year of Wonders centers around a town in 17th century England. The story revolves around the people in the village who isolate themselves during the Black Death. The key to the plot revolves around the ability and coping mechanisms of the people as they struggle not only to survive the plague, but to survive the emotional losses that occur. This research will support the thesis that the characters can only survive by letting go of something.

When the plague first hit the village, everyone tried to hold onto the life that they knew. However, as the plague continued to spread and affect more lives, some had not choice to let go, particularly when a relative died of the plague. However, it is not the physical letting go that was the central theme of the book. The villagers had to let go of something that they loved in order to survive the plague physically. They had to let go of many things emotionally as well. One of the key examples of letting go is Anna. During the course of the book, Anna lost her husband and two beloved sons. When it was discovered that her employer has come down with the plague, she is ordered by him to burn the luxurious cloth from London. Consumed by greed, the villagers do not burn it, and it becomes the instrument that carries the plague. Because they were not willing to let go of something, they were doomed to quarantine and more losses as a result of their decision. Had the villagers listened to Anna, who even though she was quite delighted with the cloth, understood the meaning of losing one they loved. She placed a higher value on the loss of life, than on the loss of a material object. Anna is symbolic of loss and letting go in the novel.

The death brings out the best and worth in the people of the village. Michael Mompellion was responsible for tending to the spiritual lives of the villagers. His ability to convince the villagers to close the borders of the village does not keep the plague out. They still must suffer. In the end, he loses his wife Elinor, after she spends many long hours tending to the sick of the village. After the losses of his wife, even he decides to let go of his own faith. He is a powerful character in the village and has the ability to influence the people of the town. His loss of faith comes early in the story. Through the eyes of Anna, we see that he has doubts long before his plan to "save" the town fails. Anna says, "His hand is on the Bible, but he never opens it. Not anymore, " (Brooks, p. 3). This is the first clue that the reader gets as to the eventual decline of Michael's faith.

Anna gained strength by letting go of the past and being able to move on. Michael Mompellion's ability to let go of his faith led to his eventual spiritual downfall. However, in the case of the Bradford's it was their inability to let go, clinging relentlessly to the past, that led to their eventual downfall. In order to save herself, she must let go of her newborn baby girl, who is the result of and adulterous relationship. Throughout the novel, the Bradfords are so aborbed by the drama in their own lives that they refuse to realize that their village has changed and will never be the same again.

Social roles within the society are clearly defined. Anna is surprisingly literate for the woman of her social status and position at the time. This gives her an advantage and the ability to understand what has happened better than the other characters. When one considers Anna in her societal context, she crosses many lines, including supporting a woman who was accused of adultery. The ability to let go of her husband, her sons, and in the end, the only life she had known represents a key survival skill that allows her to move on and build a new life. The black plague was a time of great loss across all of Europe. The ability to survive depended on the ability to fill in the holes in society that were left by those who had departed. When Anna attempts to do this by filling in as a midwife and by saving an accused witch from drowning, she is essentially "letting go" of the dogmas of the society in which she lives.

Anna is the heroine in the story and highlights the theme of letting go. The other characters such as Michael Mompellier, Elinor, and the Bradfords provide contrast in their ability to let go of certain things and the results that it brings. The theme of letting go of the past is further highlighted by these other characters. The time of the plague was a time of letting go. Everyone's world changed in some way. In the beginning of the novel, Anna reflects on the loss of labor for picking apples. This foreshadows the changes that are to come in the rest of the novel. Ann says, "There were so few people to do the picking. So few people to do anything. An those of us who are left walk around as if we're half asleep, We are all so tired, " (Brooks, p. 3) This quote sets the tone of the novel and serves as a clue that many more changes are to come and many losses as well.

The last two chapters of the novel do not seem to be consistent with the rest of the novel. It would appear that the people who survived would remain in the town. However, Anna decides to take a chance and leave for a foreign land where she will have to let go of everything that she ever knew. She will have to let go in order to survive in the new lands. The novel contains may themes, such as the social roles of society, faith, and the ability to overcome great challenges. However, it is the theme of letting go of things that drives the central plot of the story. In order to see this plot, one needs to examine the characters from an outsider's view rather than by examining the individual scenes of the story.

One of the key symbols that is consistent throughout the novel is harvest time and the smell of rotting apples. In the beginning of the novel, these are a sense of comfort and joy to Anna. They are a symbol of abundance and the ability to survive the winter. However, as the novel progresses, the smell of apples rotting begins to symbolize the losses that Ann and the rest have endured. In the end of the novel, she no loathes the smell of rotting apples. Apples are symbolic of happiness. In a sense, they support the theme of the story in that Anna is "letting go" of her happiness, as expressed by her change in attitude towards the smell of rotting apples. Apples are a metaphor for happiness and are used as such throughout the novel. The theme of rotting apples also sets the somber tone of the novel.