Symbolism In Alice Anderson's Yellow Fever '

Because Yellow Fever has taken over Philadelphia, Mattie must say goodbye many times despite how difficult it may be. Mattie said goodbye to Mother when she left for the countryside, when she lost the coffeehouse, and when Grandfather passed away. For example, saying goodbye to Grandfather was one of the hardest times for Mattie. At first Mattie could not believe that her grandfather was about to die. Right before he was about to pass away, Mattie kept denying it due to the fact that she did not want it to happen. Anderson writes, “Anything but this” (147). This is significant because it shows how much Mattie loved Grandfather and how hard it was to say goodbye. They were extremely close and Mattie had to witness his death, and even