Forgive the poor grammar.
Report by Matthew Havens

Dandelion Wine

The setting of the story is described in detail by the author. The story takes place in the year 1928. The characters live in Green Town, Illinois, a small city of 26,000 inhabitants. A deep, dark ravine, overgrown with weeds and shrubs, runs through the center of town. The atmosphere of the story affects the characters' actions. A man known as the Lonely One is killing women. His predatory actions create fear among the residents, which remains even after his death. Summer is seen as a celebration. The characters remain in a cheerful mood during the summer. The neighborhood children are delighted at the prospect of not having school.

The narrator describes the story quite effectively. The story is narrated in third person omniscient. The narrator is all knowing, uses third person pronouns, and is not a character in the story. Knowing each character's thoughts and emotions helps the reader to understand the mentality of those experiencing the events in the story. Each character's view enriches the material of the book. Knowing the differing opinions about events from the vantagepoint of different characters allows the reader to compare different viewpoints. The quote: "How interesting, he thought, lying on the floor," is proof of the narrator's third person omniscient point of view.

The author has a purpose for writing the story. The author's purpose for writing the story is to show the infinite mysteries of summer as seen through the both a child and adult's point of view. Children see the mysteries of summer much differently than adult's do. Younger children do not yet realize how or why many things occur, and thus they attribute magical properties to unexplained events. The town children personify death, nicknaming their character the "Lonely One." Doug and his brother Tom believe a figure in an arcade machine is alive and trapped. Most children see events as infinite. Children believe all people live forever. Doug is surprised when his great-grandma dies, and realizes that someday he too will pass away. Doug cannot imagine his summer ending. Adults see summer much differently than children. Most adults are aware of the explanation behind life's events, and thus hold little mystery for them. The reader can agree with the author's message. Looking back at their own childhood, the readers can see the similarities between the author's description and personal experiences. The author is accurate in his message. The theme of the book is to detail the mysteries of life. Ray Bradbury gives accurate descriptions of these mysteries. He is able to show the reader how mysteries relate to the readers' childhood.

A few tones in the story are awe and surprise. The town children are in awe of their surroundings. Most children do not realize the process by which some things occur. The children of the story are in awe of adult's apparent infinite amount of knowledge. Doug realizes one day that his parents do not know everything. Tom believes adults' knowledge is infinite. Most reade4rs will feel nostalgia when they read the story. The author attempts to show the innocence and growth of early childhood through Doug's experiences. Most readers of the story do not realize that their childhood held as much mystery and awe as the author describes. Another possible tone in the story is surprise. Doug is surprised by the ideas that he realizes over the summer, especially the fact that his parents do not know everything. The end of the town trolley in favor of a bus surprises the town children, who enjoy their trolley rides.

The climax of the story occurs with Doug becoming ill. Doug contracts an illness: he has a fever and is unconscious. The town doctor does not know the illness Doug has contracted and is at a loss as to how to cure him. Doug's parents place him outside to sleep in hopes the cooler night air will break his fever. The fever does not seem to be breaking, so Mr. Jonas, a junk collector, gives him bottles of cool air to "drink." Doug breathes in the air from the bottles and his fever breaks. Doug vows to help another in need as Mr. Jonas helped. Grandma can no longer cook properly. She has lost her touch in cooking because she no longer uses he instincts while preparing meals. Her kitchen is normally messy and disorganized. Aunt Rose straightens Grandma's kitchen. With an organized kitchen Grandma cannot seem to use her instincts. Doug stays up during the night and disorganizes the kitchen to its previous state. Grandma and the rest of the family wake during the night because of the noise Doug produces. Grandma begins cooking again during the middle of the night. The family waits in eagerness for the meal being prepared. It is served and enjoyed by all that eat it. Grandma is happy again. She has regained her touch by using her instincts to cook. Doug is happy because he has passed the gift of thinking by instinct given to him by Mr. Jonas.

Many characters are described in the story. Douglas Spaulding is a main character. Doug is twelve years old and has brown hair. Doug examines his life during the summer of 1928. He maintains a notepad with him at all times to write down mysteries of life he has discovered. Doug ponders the events in his life. If Doug feels that an event in his life has significance, he writes the event down. At some times Doug shares his findings with his brother Tom. His brother does not see the significance in some of the events Doug does because Tom has not reached the level of maturity to think the way Doug does. Tom is fascinated by Doug's ability to see the significance of some events. Tom is a minor character. Tom I Doug's younger brother and enjoys discussing significant events if life with Doug. Tom discusses the rituals of summer such as buying a new pair of shoes, shooting off firecrackers, and bottling dandelion wine. Tom sometimes understands significant events or ideas, such as realizing his parents have fear and are not invincible. Grandpa is a minor character. He bottles dandelion wine. He often discusses ideas to Doug and Tom that they do not yet understand. Grandpa values traditions of summer such as mowing the lawn. A man once offered to plant a special grass that did not need to be cut in Grandpa's yard. Grandpa refused, saying mowing is not a chore, but an activity. Most characters are likeable. The characters' different viewpoints of life enrich the story. Most characters are not cruel or otherwise unfriendly to others. Aunt Rose is not a likeable character. Aunt Rose stays with the family for a short time towards the end of summer. Aunt Rose attempts to change the lives of the characters in her quest for improvement. Aunt Rose "improves" Grandma's kitchen. As a result, Grandma can no longer cook properly, and Aunt Rose is told to leave. The author believes the characters have a potential for understanding. Doug and Tom do not know all the mysteries of life, but they try to understand. Many of the adults in the story are enriched by children's viewpoints. The character's actions are believable because many persons attempt to examine their lives.

The plot of the story involves the mentality of the main character. Douglas Spaulding is beginning to mature mentally. As Doug begins to grow older, he matures and begins to question his old beliefs. He no longer believes his parents have omnipotent knowledge. He now realizes adults feel fear and are no longer invincible in his eyes. He realizes the fact that all humans are mortal and must someday die. Doug understands that he too will someday die. Doug understands much more about life now than he did before. He writes down new events he has come to an understanding with in a notebook. He shares his finding s with his younger brother Tom. Doug watches as his old life slips away and a new one begins. Some close friends move away, and Doug is left feeling lonely. The town trolley, an important piece of Doug's childhood, is discontinued. Doug's great-grandmother dies. She is an important part of Doug's family. She is greatly missed by Doug and his family. Doug attempts to apply his new understanding to his life. He helps his grandma regain her ability to cook with instinct. She has lost her touch in cooking due to the organization of her kitchen by Aunt Rose. Doug rearranges her kitchen so it is cluttered and disorganized once again. Doug helps his brother Tom understand some of the deeper meanings of life that he sees. Doug realizes time is finite. He finds and understands that people die; they are not immortal and unchanging. Colonel Freeleigh, a man with whom Doug and his friends conversed, dies. Great-Grandma, a loved and valued member of Doug's family, dies. Doug realizes that someday he too will die. He knows his summer will not last forever; school is coming, which signifies summers end, the weather is becoming shorter and colder, and evening chats on porches are no longer practiced by the townsfolk.

The story's evaluation and recommendation is based on its contents. The book is worth reading. Many readers will be pleasantly reminded of their childhood while reading the story. The book presents truths about life. The book examines the life of a child as well as that of an adult. The children's viewpoints will often be surprising to the story's readers. The book will be recommended to friends. The book is descriptive, using many adjectives to describe events and places, such as the ravine that runs through the center of town. The book's vocabulary is easy to understand. The story's message is well written. The author clearly has examined his opinion inferred in the message in great detail. The book would be recommended to intelligent persons who like to read stories that have deep, multiple meanings.

Matthew Havens - 04/05/99

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