Seasons in Books: Spring Edition

Written by: Adrianna Dumeng

We all get to experience the changing of seasons, some more than others in each one of our respective environments. An author utilizes a seasonal setting to their advantage to further develop their storyline, in order to help the reader understand the narrative’s environment and how this specific setting plays a significant role in the character’s life or decision-making process. The changing of seasons is important in a narrative because, it showcases the development of a character throughout a particular period.

            An author can be very creative with the way they could develop their narrative even further, by mainly implementing the season of spring in their storyline, as an example. Spring is commonly described to be a season with the perfect weather, it’s not too hot nor too cold. The flowers start to bloom, and one can closely hear the birds chirping in excitement. Children tend to run outside laughing and playing in this season.

In literature, spring symbolizes growth and new beginnings therefore, these symbols can be used in various ways to create different stories that greatly impact a reader or to help establish a moral within the plot. Other symbols that express the season of spring in a narrative are birth and fertility, this could be used to represent a new life, family, or the birth of a new character and its significant storyline. The symbolism of youth represents how a character tries to figure out how they fit into the world or society they are written into. Joy is symbolized in literature as a way for the author to develop exciting possibilities for a character or to foreshadow events, that will occur later on in the story. The author determines beforehand what symbol they want to utilize in their story, in order for it to have a close association with the season.

Anne of Green Cables was published in 1908, by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Two elderly siblings were in desperate need of help in their farm, and they decided to adopt a young boy from an orphanage, instead the orphanage sent by mistake a red haired, freckled, 11-year-old by the name of Anne Shirley. This heartwarming story follows the adventures of this young orphan girl, as she navigates life on Prince Edward Island and learns important lessons like love and friendship. In Montgomery’s story, we can clearly see the growth and matureness in Anne Shirley as she navigates the situations that life intercepted her way in a cheerful and welcoming manner.

Pride and Prejudice is considered to be a classic of English literature, it was published in 1813, by Jane Austen. It centers the flourishing relationship between Elizabeth Bennet, the daughter of a country gentleman, and Fitzwilliam Darcy, a rich aristocratic landowner. Elizabeth Bennet is one of five sisters from a middle-class family, throughout the story we see her trying to navigate the social landscape of her time. She ends up meeting the wealthy Mr. Darcy, who initially looks down on her family due to their low social status. Throughout the story we see how they both mature and overcome their individual biases in order to end up together. Austen portrayed a beautiful story about growth, love and most importantly respect with these characters.

As previously stated, seasonal settings are very important for an author in order to further develop a storyline. The symbols that are perceived by the spring season are fundamental elements in stories like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Anne of Green Cables, and Pride and Prejudice, which help showcase the growth and new beginnings of a character.