Year of Wonders

by

Geraldine Brooks

Sam Frith Character Analysis

Sam is Anna’s husband and father of her sons, Jamie and Tom. He is killed in a mining accident before the opening of the book, widowing Anna and forcing her to fend for herself. While Sam was a good husband who loved and respected Anna, he wasn’t nearly as intelligent as her. While she was married to him, Anna sometimes wished for someone with more experiences and knowledge, and a broader view of life’s possibilities.
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Sam Frith Character Timeline in Year of Wonders

The timeline below shows where the character Sam Frith appears in Year of Wonders. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1: Apple-Picking Time
Community and Convention Theme Icon
Faith, Suffering, and God’s Will Theme Icon
...The trees make her remember good things from the past, like the night her husband, Sam Frith, asked her to marry him. Anna had two sons with her husband and was... (full context)
Female Sexuality and Friendship Theme Icon
Faith, Suffering, and God’s Will Theme Icon
However, after three years Sam was killed in a mining accident. Anna remarks that Sam’s was the first of dozens... (full context)
Part 2: Ring of Roses
Female Sexuality and Friendship Theme Icon
...becomes more intimate, Anna notes that she never had evenings like this with her husband, Sam, who worked all day in the mines and was too tired to talk when he... (full context)
Part 2: Among Those That Go Down to the Pit
Community and Convention Theme Icon
Female Sexuality and Friendship Theme Icon
...mine claim, she is elated and decides to help them. The women arm themselves with Sam’s old tools and the Wickford’s leather mining suits and hats. Elinor remarks wryly that her... (full context)
Female Sexuality and Friendship Theme Icon
Faith, Suffering, and God’s Will Theme Icon
...ore, called fire-setting. It’s a complicated and volatile process and caused the accident that killed Sam, so she’s reluctant to suggest they try it. But when she sees Merry’s disappointed face... (full context)
Part 3: Apple-Picking Time
Science and Superstition Theme Icon
...repulsion towards him. She runs into the abandoned church to avoid him. Here, she remembers Sam. She had been frustrated by his simplicity and envied Elinor her intelligent, sophisticated husband. Now,... (full context)