Sunday, August 12, 2012

Rashmi bookmarks “Farewell Summer”


Farewell Summer is a novel by Ray Bradbury, and is a sequel to his novel Dandelion Wine. Based on Bradbury’s own childhood in Waukegan, Illinois, Dandelion Wine is set in the summer of 1928 in the fictional town of Green Town, Illinois, and depicts life in a small town with all the simple joys that go with it. It ends with the conclusion of summer and Farewell Summer, set in October, picks up from that theme.

The story depicts a desperate attempt to stop summer from drawing to an end, to stop youth from passing by, to fight the very passage of time. That strenuous effort is reflected in the running theme of the ‘War’ that is waged by Douglas, Charlie, Will, Bo, Pete, Sam, Henry, Ralph and Tom against old Braling and old Quartermain, and also in the historic attack on the town clock.

Woven with references from Dandelion Wine, such as Mrs. Bentley - the old lady who was never a girl, the Green Machine, the Lonely One, the ravine and the Time Machine, the story starts off with a sharp and bitter divide between the old and the new, goes on to a point where the lines start blurring and the face and regrets of youth and old age become interchangeable, to finally end off in the ultimate handover.

That ultimate handover is the passing of the torch of youth, so to say. As Calvin C. Quartermain and Douglas Spaulding meet one last time on the former’s front yard, the two identities and the two ages merge in and out of each other in that brilliant conversation set to a seesaw. To round off the life cycle, Quartermain’s manhood visits him one last time, and Douglas’ manhood appears to him for the first time ever.

There is a first and a last of everything; there will always be the first kiss, there will always be the last summer… but with every passing, there will also always be hope! Even as Doug and Tom lament the end of summer, they realize that autumn brings with it - the much anticipated - Halloween!

If I had to pick one, I would say Dandelion Wine was a better read - it portrayed a deeper slice of life and evoked a lot more emotion. That said, I don’t think Farewell Summer is meant to be read as anything but a seamless continuation of its predecessor. “Some summers refuse to end”, and the memories of our childhood - no matter how recently or how far back they were created - will always be a cherished part of the rest of our lives.

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