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In January, 1793, a French aeronaut named Jean Pierre Blanchard launched the first hot-air balloon to be flown in the United States, taking off from Philadelphia and landing 15 miles away in New Jersey. Most of Philadelphia’s population witnessed the takeoff, and Mattie vividly remembers the event. In Mattie’s mind, Blanchard’s balloon—“a yellow silk bubble escaping the earth”—symbolizes freedom, particularly an escape from her home, where she feels as if she’s trapped and treated like a child. She, too, longs to “slip free of the ropes that held me,” longing to travel to France and start her own businesses, away from the expectations and demands of her family. As she’s swept up in the yellow fever epidemic, however, Mattie’s perspective on freedom changes—she learns that true independence requires the maturity to help those in need, adapting to circumstances as necessary. At the end of the novel, Mattie is the proprietor of the revitalized Cook Coffeehouse, caring for and supporting her frail mother, a fever survivor. As she watches the sun rise one morning (“a giant balloon filled with prayers and hopes and promise”), she looks forward to fulfilling her dreams as a businesswoman, but remaining tethered to her family by the obligations of love—a new kind of freedom.
Yellow Balloon Quotes in Fever 1793
The Fever 1793 quotes below all refer to the symbol of Yellow Balloon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1
Quotes
A few blocks south lay the Walnut Street Prison, where Blanchard had flown that remarkable balloon. From the prison’s courtyard it rose, a yellow silk bubble escaping the earth. I vowed to do that one day, slip free of the ropes that held me. Nathaniel Benson had heard me say it, but he did not laugh. He understood. Perhaps I would see him at the docks, sketching a ship or sea gulls. It had been a long time since we talked.
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Epiloque
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Early morning was the only time I felt as if there were ghosts nearby, memories of the weeks of fear. That’s when I found myself listening for Polly’s giggle or Grandfather’s voice. Sometimes they felt so close. Close enough to tell me I should stop dawdling and get to work.
I smiled as the mist faded. The yellow sun rose, a giant balloon filled with prayers and hopes and promise. I stood and shook the idleness out of my skirts.
Day was begun.
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Get the entire Fever 1793 LitChart as a printable PDF.
Yellow Balloon Symbol Timeline in Fever 1793
The timeline below shows where the symbol Yellow Balloon appears in Fever 1793. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: August 16th, 1793
...into her pillow again, hoping to “float back to sleep, drifting like Blanchard’s giant yellow balloon.” However, when a mosquito bites her on the forehead, she leaps out of bed and...
(full context)
A few blocks south is the spot where Blanchard had sailed his balloon earlier that year. Someday, Mattie wants to escape like that balloon, “slip free of the...
(full context)
Chapter 5: August 24th, 1793
...see him, dismissing him as a scamp without a future. He and Mattie watched the balloon together earlier this year.
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Chapter 10: September 6th, 1793
...the sickness passes. He tells Mattie to take care and promises that someday they’ll watch balloons together again.
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Chapter 25: October 14th, 1793
...of her younger self planting the bean seeds so long ago. She remembers Blanchard’s yellow balloon and wonders what became of her former hopes. Finally, she lays down in the garden...
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Epilogue: December 11th, 1793
Mattie smiles as the sun rises—“a giant balloon filled with prayers and hopes and promise.” She stands and “[shakes] the idleness out of”...
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