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Chapter 16
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
Mattie and Grandfather reach the coffeehouse at midday. The open front door has a yellow scrap tied to it. Mattie hurries inside and finds the front room a mess: furniture is thrown about, items are missing, and King George’s bird cage is smashed. The kitchen has also been ransacked. Mattie comforts Grandfather, pointing out that it’s not his fault; someone broke through the window.
The coffeehouse has all the marks of the fever—the yellow scrap warning others that the sickness has struck here, and the chaos suggesting that thieves have taken advantage of the situation. The violation of their home and business underscores the sense of the world being turned upside down by the epidemic.
Themes
Mattie urges her grandfather to rest; his face is red, and he’s rubbing his left arm. She assesses the situation. Their food and some of their valuables have been taken, but the strongbox is still safely hidden beneath a hollow stair. They’re alive, and the house is still standing. Mattie “just had to stay clever and strong and find something to eat.” She rubs the threatening tears away.
Grandfather is not well—Mattie immediately sees this and takes charge, showing that, even after her illness, she hasn’t surrendered her sense of responsibility and desire to protect her loved ones. The burden on her is heavy, and she knows it will call upon all her resources, but her tears don’t weaken her resolve.
Themes
Grandfather’s arms shake as he tries to hang his sword in its place over the mantle, so Mattie helps him. She playfully orders him to his “bedroll” for a rest, and he salutes her as “General Mattie.” Mattie goes outside to find food before tackling the mess in the kitchen, but she discovers that the garden has been devoured by insects and choked with weeds. After taking Grandfather some cold water, Mattie labors in the garden for an hour, coming up with two handfuls of green beans, some stunted squash, and some sour cherries for her efforts.
Grandfather’s and Mattie’s soldiering motif reinforces their bond and helps them face their strained circumstances with a dash of humor. At the same time, when Mattie hangs Grandfather’s sword, there’s a sense that his role as protector of the house is being transferred to her. This is further reinforced when she takes responsibility for finding food for them.
Themes
Even as Mattie sits over her unsatisfactory meal, she remembers that there are “still rules, even if Mother isn’t here to enforce them.” She makes Silas the cat eat on the floor, and she remembers to pray before eating. At first, she prays that God will punish the thieves who wrecked their home, but finally she just asks that God “deal with them as you see fit.” She asks God to watch over Mother, Eliza, Grandfather, and Nathaniel.
Mattie instinctively occupies her mother’s role at the table, despite the longstanding conflict between them. This shows the strength of their bond, as well as the fact that, for all her complaints about her mother’s strictness, Mattie has internalized the way Lucille runs their home and respects it. In her prayer, she also tries not to be excessively harsh on those who’ve resorted to thieving, understanding that the crisis has pushed many to extremes.
Themes
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