57 pages • 1 hour read
Tove JanssonThe Summer Book
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1972A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Setting
Setting is used extensively as many of the vignettes take place in a unique area. The settings that appear include the family’s cottage and veranda, the island, the magic forest, the Cairn, Blustergull Skerry, North Grayskerry, the cave, and the sea. Many of the vignettes begin with an elaborate description of the setting. For instance, “The Magic Forest” begins with a description of the dead forest on the island: “From a passing rowboat it was obvious that each tree was stretching away from the wind; they crouched and twisted, and many of them crept” (8).
The description of the setting serves both to assist the reader in creating a mental image of the magic forest and to develop the sad and dark tones of the vignette. Each setting used plays a similar role in their respective stories. As such, the reader is introduced to the variety of landscapes among the islands of the Gulf of Finland, while themes and characterization are enhanced through the symbolism of the settings and how they reflect the emotions and experiences of the characters.
Imagery & Sensory Language
Imagery is used to help the reader create detailed mental pictures, generally of the settings, such as in the opening lines of “The Morning Swim”: “The bare granite steamed, the moss and crevices were drenched with moisture, and all the colors everywhere had deepened” (13). Often, the author uses imagery in conjunction with sensory language. She targets sight and smell in “The Cave,” writing, “The jungle was very thick and tall and lived mostly on dead seaweed and rotten fish” (58), and she focuses on sight, sound, and motion in “August,” describing the time of year as, “[coming] to a standstill; nothing withers, and fall is not ready to begin. There are no stars yet, just darkness” (160). These vivid descriptions are intended to create immersive emotional and sensory experiences to draw the reader into the story.
Symbolism
Jansson uses symbolism extensively to develop the plot, characters, and themes. Examples of symbolism in the text include the ravine, which symbolizes Sophia’s and Grandmother’s age-related restrictions; the reflection of two fires, which represents Father and Grandmother; the dead scolder, which symbolizes Sophia’s mother; Berenice’s hair, which represents Sophia’s childish shallowness; and the bulldozer clearing a path, which symbolizes progress and change.
The use of these symbols allows the author to impart deeper meanings into the individual vignettes. Although a few symbols appear across multiple stories—e.g., Grandmother’s medical aids—most of the symbols are restricted to one vignette. By limiting the appearance of each symbol, the author avoids repetition and increases the diversity of the nuanced messages within the overall collection.
